Look at Me
by elfinchakie
Summary: When Bella Swan meets Edward Cullen, it seems like they were made for eachother. However, one day Edward makes a decision which jeopardises their future together. Love isn't always easy. Will time heal all wounds? AH & Set in London, England
1. Chapter 1

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Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all these crazy characters

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"Bella _please_!" Angela begged as her fringe fell into her soft brown eyes. She had been begging me to go to this club with her on Friday so she could stay over at mine afterwards. My parents were conveniently away for the weekend so it didn't matter what time we got in and Angela – who's dad was a priest – could pretend she was at my house all evening. Prefect plan. Except I _really _didn't want to go.

"Angela you can go without me and still stay here, I'll give you a key and everything. You know clubs aren't really my thing..." It was true, I'm more of a gig goer/stay at home with a film type of person. Angela knew this but for some reason she really wanted me to go.

I sighed as I looked up at her, she looked so disappointed. _How can I deny that pretty face of hers? She never really asks me for anything so..._

"Okay okay, I'll come with you," I said, throwing my hands up in defeat. She squealed and jumped at me, crushing me in a firm hug.  
"Thank you so much Bella, you're truly the best," she giggled. _Yeah I know, I'm totally the best._

I just hoped my dad – the police sergeant – didn't find out about this. He wouldn't be thrilled about his under-age daughter using fake ID to get into clubs and such...

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Friday afternoon rolled by sooner than expected. I kissed my mum and dad goodbye and promised them I'd be "a good girl" for them. I was almost 18 and they still treated me like a kid. Whatever, as long as they thought I was still their innocent little daughter, I could get away with more. They would never have trusted me to stay on my own if they knew I was into boys and drinking.

Angela came over at 8 in a grey tracksuit and clutching a huge bag full of stuff.

"I told my dad it was full of homework and books," she smirked and rolled her eyes.

I wasn't really sure what to wear so I went with the safe option of black skinny jeans and a low-cut, off-the-shoulder top. I curled my hair slightly, applied some make-up and grabbed my black boots.

I poked my head round the guest room door to find Angela admiring herself in the mirror. She looked _seriously _hot in her little black dress and red heels. I wolf-whistled as she gave me a little spin. Her dad would _freak_ and send her to a convent if he saw her dressed like that.

We stepped out of my cosy, semi-detached house and into the chilly February evening. We met Ben at 9.30 and headed to the club.

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I was bored already. We'd been here for about an hour and I was just sitting at the bar drinking my third double JD and Coke. This one had been free because I flirted with the barman a little.

I watched Angela and Ben dancing away happily and smiled to myself. I was glad she found herself a nice guy. She was at least 3 inches taller than him but they still looked so perfect together.

I'd broken up with my boyfriend, Mike a few months back. I wasn't exactly upset about it, he turned out to be such a clingy, pathetic loser. Plus, he couldn't kiss to save his life.

I searched the mindless, pulsing crowd for a face I could talk to but I could see noone. I finished my drink and ordered another, glad to find this one was also "on the house". Wow this guy must be desperate.

The music pumped out of the speakers and shot through my body, the bass sending vibrations through everyone and everything around me. _Man, I love that feeling._

I closed my eyes and let the music take control.  
I'm not sure how long I had them closed for but when I opened them I almost fell off my chair. The hottest guy _ever_ was walking towards the bar. I raked my eyes over his appearance.

_Tight black shirt and snug black jeans. Maybe he's a fan of Johnny Cash..._

I looked up at his face and marvelled at his sharp jaw and high cheekbones. He seriously looked like a model. I realised I was staring so I turned back round to the bar and swirled the ice cubes in my drink. He came up on my left and it took all of my control not to look up. He leaned over the bar and said right into the bar man's face, "Two vodka, red bulls. Please." His voice was soft and silky.

_So sexy..._He looked up at me. _Shit did I say that out loud?! _I stared into his intense green eyes and felt my mouth slowly drop open. I must've resembled a fish. I was waiting for him to look away – since I was clearly incapable of doing so – but he didn't. I'm not sure how much time had passed but I heard the bar man say, "Er, your drinks mate?"

The sexy guy slowly raised his eyebrows and quickly turned to get his drinks. He was out of sight in a blink.

_What the hell just happened there? _I turned back to the bar man who looked a bit pissed off. He didn't attempt to talk to me again so I got up and decided I hadn't had enough of this mysterious sex bomb.

I literally searched every corner of the club for him until I decided I was a bit too drunk to be doing so. I gave up and went to find Angela, planning on actually having some fun for once.

I stumbled through the crowd blindly, smiling and laughing with random people dancing around me. A classic dance track I recognised started to play and I cheered in approval along with 200 others who had good taste in music. I started to dance with a random guy until I realised he was seriously creepy.

"I HAVE TOOO GOO AND FIIND MY FRIEEND," I yelled in his ear and looked up to see him look extremely frustrated. _Sorry mate..._I got to the edge of the dance floor with the intention of sitting down somewhere but instead I stopped dead and sucked in a sharp breath.

_I found him!_

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**A/N: okay, so I hope you enjoyed my attempt at a first chapter. I promise you that the next chapter is good so if ya want it, lemme know ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

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**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer is the big boss. She owns Twilight.**

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He was standing by one of the walls talking to a blonde girl who was holding on to him for support. She was infuriatingly beautiful. Well it made sense, because he was too.

I stood there and gaped like an idiot while people danced and stumbled around me. I gulped down the rest of my Jack and Coke while I analysed the way he bobbed his head in time to the music, his hair was a flash of bronze every time the white strobe lights flickered above his head.

_I wonder if that's his natural colour...  
_  
He turned his head slightly in my direction and looked as if he was searching for someone. I took this time to admire the profile of his face. _Mmm, just so perfect... _I took an unconscious step forward and suddenly he was looking straight back at me. _Shit._

I looked away quickly and tried to casually sip my drink... except my glass was empty. _Double shit._ I must look like such an idiot. I chanced a glance back in his direction to see he was whispering to the blonde.

To my horror, she spun round to look at me with curious eyes. _What the fuck?! Was that really necessary? _Completely mortified, I turned and ran for the door, pushing sweaty bodies out the way in the process.

I figured Angela would be okay, she was with Ben anyway. I finally emerged out of the crazy crowd and burst through the heavy metal doors. I sighed in relief as the cool air clung to my damp skin and filled my lungs. _Wow, this must be what it's like to be born. Eh_... I was definitely drunk.

"You alright love?" I jumped round to see the bouncer eyeing me suspiciously.  
"Yeah yeah, thanks... Just needed some air" I muttered and attempted to smile.

_Fuck this,_ I thought as I turned on my heel and stumbled down the road, wishing I hadn't downed that forth drink.  
I wasn't looking forward to walking back on my own but there was no way I was staying there after I made a complete fool of myself.

My head started spinning and I could swear I heard someone running down the road. It made me nervous so I started to pick up my pace a little until I realised I was jogging.

_Hell no, I am not in the mood to get murdered._

"Excuse me? EXCUUUUSE ME?! OI WAIT UP!"

_Crap crap crap crap craaaaap._

"HELLOOO? I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! STOOOOP!"

_Well, they know I know so... I guess this is the end._

I stopped and slowly turned round to face my approaching attacker and tried to remember any form of self-defence. I blinked twice when I saw I was being chased by a pixie. I contemplated the possibility of someone slipping me some kind of hallucinogenic. _What could this little person possibly want from me? Maybe I dropped something._ I would thank the helpful pixie and be on my way.

She finally reached my bewildered self and I stared at her crazy, short black hair as she bent over panting and held her little index finger up at me. I waited for her to get her breath back.

She stood back up as we heard someone else approaching and she yelled, "IS THIS HER?"  
"Yeeeeah!" another female voice called back.

_What the hell is going on?!_

A second passed and I saw 'The Blonde' from earlier jogging towards us.

_Oh crap, I'm going to get bitch slapped for eyeing up her man._

I was suspended in indecision and must have resembled a rabbit preparing to bolt.

_Should I stay or should I go?_

"Shit Alice! How do you run so fast?" She wheezed. "You're wearing 6 inch heels for gods sake!"

The pixie, now identified as Alice, grinned and turned to me.

"Hi, I'm Alice." She said with a small wave, "And this is Rosalie."  
"Bella" I squeaked whilst taking a step back.

There was an awkward pause and I took the opportunity to take another two steps back.

Rosalie sighed impatiently and gave Alice a pointed look as she tapped her foot and crossed her arms.  
"Alriiight alriiight!" Alice exclaimed, turning to scowl at Rosalie.

She looked back at me, opened her mouth then closed it again. She twisted her mouth like she was deciding on how to phrase something and then...

"My brother thinks you're the most beautiful girl he's ever seen!" She blurted out.

"Erm..." _What the hell am I supposed to say to that? I've had enough of this. _"Look I'm really not up for dumb jokes. I'm sorry for eyeing up your man, I didn't mean any harm." I said to Blondie, trying to sound as sincere as possible even though I was slurring my words.

To my horror, this only made her angry. Her smile turned into a sneer within half a second. I almost shit myself. She was so fucking intimidating!

"You – were – looking – at – my – Emmett?" She growled through her teeth, stepping towards me.

_Fuuuuck, backtrack!_

"Sorry, I just, um. It's his hair. Unusual colour. Don't often see it on guys. Natural? Errrm... I was just admiring..."

_Smooth Bella..._

I'd managed to back myself up against a wall during my blabbering. _Great._

I peeked up at Rosalie to see she wore a very confused expression on her face and then looked at Alice who'd just doubled over laughing.

W_haaaat?_I looked over to see _another _person running over. I silently prayed it was someone coming to rescue me and actually thought I was in luck when I saw this massive guy with bulging muscles coming towards us. He had chestnut brown hair which had a slight curl to it and was... seriously hot. My hope died though when he walked up to Rosalie and grabbed her waist, pulling her to him and making her giggle.  
"Hey baby," he breathed in her ear.

_Okay, now I'm really confused..._

Under the street lamp I could tell he had the same hazel eyes as Alice. They actually looked alike, despite glaringly obvious size difference. He must be her brother.  
"This is Emmett, my brother" Alice confirmed. "The guy with 'the hair' is Edward, my _other_ brother."

_Oooh, starting to get it now... sorta._"You thought _Edward_ was my boyfriend? Gross!" Rosalie exclaimed, burying her face into Emmett's shoulder. She peered up and apologised for going "ape shit" at me with an embarrassed smile.

_How could this possibly be the same person..._"Jasper's coming with Edward." Grinned Emmett, flashing the most adorable dimples I've ever seen. I had to force myself to stop staring before I gave Rosalie a real reason to yell at me.

I was grateful for the distraction when a tall blonde guy - who I'm guessing was Jasper - came striding towards us and introduced himself to me. He scooped Alice up in his arms and kissed her on the cheek.

_That was so freakin' cute._

"Where's Edward?" She complained.  
"Coming, he's coming." Jasper murmured in response.

_Why am I still here?_

"Okay guys, so this has been nice but I-" and it was too late. The Bronze Haired God was already there and... glaring at the floor?

Emmett cleared his throat which made Edward look up.

_Shit, he's even better up close..._

"Err, yeah I'm Edward." He stated as he stared intently at something behind my head.

"Bella" I replied. He still didn't look at me properly. He was either ridiculously shy or he just didn't want to talk to me. He didn't _look_ like the shy type...

_Awkward, much?_

I felt my face flush from embarrassment as I racked my brain for an excuse to leave._  
_

_Damn alcohol, can't think straight!_

I was standing there like an idiot watching the guys shuffled around impatiently and the girls glare at Edward until I heard a familiar ring tone.

_Saved by the bell_, I thought as I flipped open my phone with a little too much enthusiasm.

"Hello?" I blurted.  
"Hey Bella, it's Ben. Angela is in a bit of a state, we're outside the club. Can you help me get her home?" Bless him, he loved her like crazy but when it came to shit like this, he was useless.

_Thank God for your uselessness Ben._I told him I'd be there in 2 seconds and hung up, eager to say goodbye and get the hell home. They were all looking at me expectantly, except for Edward, who was looking at the floor and Emmett and Rosalie... who were making out against the wall. _Ew_.

"Sorry, I - um, my friend needs me and... yeah..." I mumbled, "Nice to meet you all..." _Sorta..._

And with that, I stumbled past them and back in the direction of the club.

As I distanced myself, I faintly heard a thud followed by an "OUCH" and a "Nice going Ed. You _douche_."

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed that... Reviews are much appreciated**


	3. Chapter 3

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**Hey, just want to say thanks to those of you who've added me to favourites and alerts and stuff. I'm getting ridiculusly happy over it all and it's making me want to update sooner. Reviews are always nice too so don't be shy lol. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight.**

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When I woke up the next morning, I literally felt like the shit on the bottom of someone's shoe.

My head was throbbing and a wave of nausea washed over me as I sat up and winced at the light coming through my window. I winced again when I noticed the immense drilling noise coming from the building works going on right outside my fucking window.

I tried to ignore the noise and concentrate on answering the question of who I was, what day it was and why I felt like death.

_I'm Bella, it's Saturday and I drank a stupid amount of Jack Daniels last night. _

I groaned as I rolled out of bed and clutched my head. Random images flashed into my mind as I tried to recall the events of my evening. One thing I couldn't figure out though, was whether I'd imagined stalking the guy with bronze hair or talking to that group of people... They were all unnaturally hot so it was a possibility.

_There goes that Bella Swan, hallucinating about hot people again... _

Getting Angela home wasn't an easy task, she threw up at least 3 times on the way back but we managed to make it home around 3am.

I got up to check on her and make sure she wasn't choking on her own puke. She didn't reply after I knocked twice so I decided she wouldn't mind if I quickly popped my head round the door.

"Angela?" I turned the door knob and cautiously stepped into the room. I was just about to call her name again when I realised there were two pairs of feet dangling out the bed and the covers were moving vigorously.

_EW EW EW EW EW!_

I jumped back out, shutting the door and hoping they hadn't noticed me, I could've sworn Ben went home last night. I thought about how annoyed my parents would be if they found out Angela and Ben were doing it in the guest room.

Shaking the images from my thoughts, I decided I seriously needed to shower and headed to the bathroom.

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When I emerged, Ben was gone and Angela was sitting on the bed looking guilty. I knew she was trying to figure out how to tell me Ben had stayed so I saved her the trouble.

"I know Ben stayed round," I said, raising my eyebrow at her. She flushed and looked down at the mattress. "It's okay, slut." I grinned and playfully pushed her over. She giggled and crawled under the covers.

I asked her if she'd had a good night and her eyes glittered as she relayed everything she could remember. She'd been babbling on for about 10 minutes and my eyes were just starting to glaze over when Angela suddenly sat up and let out one big, "OH MY GOD!"

She didn't wait for my response. "Did you know the Cullens were there last night?!" She squealed, grabbing my arm and almost making my towel slip.

"The _who_?" I seriously didn't know who she was talking about.

"As in, Dr. Cullens kids... only the richest effin' kids in London!" She yelled in an exasperated tone.

I'd heard a lot about this, _Dr. Cullen_ but I'd never seen him before. Apparently he was super gorgeous and super rich but I secretly doubted his existence. Every year he makes a monster donation to the church Angela's dad is based at.

She was telling me about how they were all basically the same age as us when I interrupted. "Wait, how many of them are there?" I asked.  
"Ummm... 5 I think." She answered, creasing up her forehead.

I paused for a moment to take it in.

"How is that possible? Are they quintuplets or something?" I mocked, this was getting silly.

"No no... they're not... Emmett and Alice are brother and sister, they're 18 and 17. Edward is their cousin but he's lived with them since he was a baby, he's 17 too. Rosalie is Emmett's girlfriend and Jasper is Alice's boyfriend. They're both 18." She lay back onto the pillows with a smug smile on her face. _It's not cool that you know all of that Angela._

I sat and absorbed the information for a moment a cloud of realisation slowly creeping into my mind. These names sounded a little _too_ familiar._ Everything_ sounded a little too familiar.

"They're all ridiculously gorgeous of course," Angela sighed.

Ah_._ _I've definitely met the Cullens._

I chose not to tell Angela this fact, I was in no mood to have to explain. Instead, I scooted up next to her and put my arm around her. I really loved Angela.

She put her head on my shoulder and we both sighed in content. That's when I got a whiff of something unpleasant. It smelt like booze, sweat and sex.

"Angela, you don't smell like a priest's daughter. I suggest you go and shower."

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A few completely uneventful weeks had passed since my encounter with '_The Cullens_'. I went to school everyday, listened to the usual shit and then went home. I found school tedious but I was clever enough to not have to worry about exams. I just wanted this year to be over so I could start looking forward to university.

I figured I should get a job and start saving up some money. Angela told me to try the posher shops because the pay was better so I went straight to the boutiques. I was in luck, Carousel Boutique was hiring and apparently desperate. It was a cute little place, selling stuff like accessories and lingerie. I could never afford anything they sold. It was about 30 minutes away from my house by car and I had no problem getting there in my little blue Peugeot 206.

My boss was a real snob, she never said thank you and if I asked her a question, she'd raise her eyebrows at me as if I'd just asked her what colour her pubes were. I could handle her though.

One Saturday, the shop was having a slow day, there had been about three people come in and only one of them actually bought something. I wasn't surprised though, not everyone could afford this shit.

I was sitting behind the cash register, spinning a penny on the counter top when some sort of vintage black Mustang pulled up outside the shop.

To my horror, none other than Alice Cullen jumped out the passenger side and walked towards the shop.

I went in to full panic mode and ducked down behind the counter. I don't even know why I was reacting like this, she'd probably forgotten who I was. I could just pretend I didn't know who she was either and there would be no harm done.

I rose up slowly and perched on the stool, still keeping my head down though. I watched as she walked in and browsed around, picking up bags, shoes and lingerie as she went along. She didn't even bother to check any of the prices.

I started to feel like the panicked rabbit again as she walked up to the counter, I felt like I was John Conner and Alice was The Terminator. She reached the counter and looked up at me.

I stood there like a deer caught in headlights as she stared at me for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually her blank expression begun to thaw out and Alice was suddenly grinning. It was a terrifying grin.

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**A/N: Sorry if that felt a bit short, just trying to set things up. Hope you liked it anyway.**

**If you wanna know what the cars look like, here's some links to the pictures. If they don't work just type in 'blue peugeot 206' or 'black 1965 mustang fastback' into google images or whatever.**

**Bella's Peugeot**  
**www (dot) allvehicles (dot) co (dot) uk/peugeot_206_lx_blue_002 (dot) jpg**

**Jasper's Mustang  
www (dot) seriouswheels (dot) com/pics-1960-1969/1965-Ford-Mustang-Black-2-2-fb-sy (dot) jpg**

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	4. Chapter 4

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**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer**

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"Oh my god. It's you. It's Bella. BELLA!" She shrieked. "I can't believe I found you!"

I stood, frozen still and stared at her, a million thoughts going through my head but not one of them coherent. I tried to think of an appropriate response but really, what the hell was I supposed to say to that? I couldn't even manage a "hello". The over-load in my head caused me to go into autopilot.

"May I take your items?" I said, holding my hand out for her shopping. Her wide, hazel eyes were obviously questioning my sanity as she dumped half the shop's stock onto the counter.

"You ran off before my brother could ask you for your number." She said with a disapproving look on her face. "He's been talking about you for weeks, you know."

I slowly noted what she'd just said.

Edward Cullen had been talking about me, Bella Swan. _Yeah, right. And there's such thing as vegetarian vampires. _

My annoyance began to show.

"_What on_ _earth _are you talking about? He didn't exactly seem thrilled to talk to me. In fact, he couldn't even _look_ at me!" I hissed, glad I'd finally found my tongue.

"Oi, he's been through some tough shit okay? His confidence has taken some pretty harsh knocks in the past-" She looked like she was about to say something else but stopped. "Don't be so damn rude!" She sneered, folding her arms over her chest and giving me the death glare.

I felt the heat begin to creep up my neck but I couldn't tell if it was caused by embarrassment or by frustration.

I looked her in the eye and apologised as sincerely as I possibly could. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make assumptions, it's just... I don't..." Struggling to find the right way to express my thoughts, I looked down and continued to scan Alice's items.

_Beep_. £250. _Beep_. £300. _Beep_. £400.

"I just don't get why he'd be interested in me. I'm just plain old Bella. He's gorgeous and probably exceptionally interesting. I've never even spoken to him before... Can't you see why it'd seem like a complete joke to me?" I muttered and slowly raised my eyes back to her face.

Her expression softened and she put her tiny hand over mine. "Believe me Bella, Edward's been thinking of nothing but you since..." She pursed her lips like she'd said too much again. "Look, he really wants to get to know you. I'm not messing with you, I promise."

I scanned her last few items through.

"That's gonna be £850," I said, flinching. _How can she spend that much on accessories in one day?_

She shoved her card into the machine and punched in her code without hesitation. She still had her eyes fixed on me waiting for a response.

"Are you working tomorrow?" She said with an irritated edge to her voice. I shook my head, too weary to talk anymore. I watched as a slow smile crept onto her face. "Good. You're meeting my brother at the South Green Starbucks, tomorrow at 1pm. Is that okay?" I nodded weakly. "Oh, and write your number on my receipt." I considered writing down a fake number but it was no use, she knew where I worked. Plus, I wasn't entirely opposed to meeting this guy, just nervous.

"Okay then, we're all good?" Alice grinned. I nodded again and smiled at her. She was a seriously bizarre person but I liked her, she was feisty.

"Cool, come say hi to Jasper!" She insisted as she grabbed her bags and my arm.

Before I knew it, I was out the door and being dragged towards the Mustang. I recognised Pearl Jam blaring out of the speakers and nodded my head in appreciation. Alice released my arm and jumped into the passenger side, the music was abruptly turned down. I tried to recall what Jasper looked like, plucking my memory for any detail other than scruffy blonde hair. Leaning down to the window, I was met by a pair of golden brown eyes. Moving my head back to get a better view, I saw Jasper sitting there with a warm grin on his face.

"Hi there, purdy!" He greeted, I noticed his voice had a very distinct drawl to it. It hit me that Jasper was an American. _And_ his accent was Southern. _Woah... How did I not know this?_

"Bella's meeting Edward for coffee tomorrow," chimed Alice with a smug look on her face.

"Awww, nice! I'm sure ya'll get on like a blazing barn!" He said to me as he grabbed Alice's hand and kissed it. "Unfortunately that boy can be as useless as tits on a bull."

It was just then when I heard the door of the boutique open and my boss clear her throat. _Crap, I'm in deep shit._

"Isabella, I do not pay you to stand around socialising _outside, _I suggest you get inside right now before I fire you."

I was about to turn around and do some serious brown-nosing when I saw Alice jump out the car again.

"Sorry Mimi, it was completely my fault. I just wanted to talk to her about our plans tomorrow," Alice purred, running her hand smoothly down the hood of the car.

"Oh! Alice, I didn't realise it was you! I'm so sorry."

_Oh my god... _

My boss turned to me and said through gritted teeth, "I didn't know you knew Alice." _Neither did I really... _

I simply shrugged my shoulders and smiled sweetly at her.

Alice told me she'd "be in touch", gave me a very pointed look and then climbed back into the car. We stood and watched as the Mustang sped off down the road.

I turned back to Mimi who had a incredulous look on her face. I had a feeling she was going to be nice to me from now on.

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When I got home I knew it was time to tell Angela _everything_. I called her up and waited apprehensively as she relayed the events of her day to me. She'd gone ice-skating with Ben and he managed catch her every time she fell. W_ell played, Ben._

After half an hour of her talking and me mmm-ing and ah-ing, she finally asked, "So what's new with you?"

I took a deep breath and cleared my throat, "Angela I need to tell you something... Erm... I've got a date with Edward Cullen tomorrow."

I practically heard her jaw unhinge itself. There was a pause and then a loud "WHAT THE FUCK?!" followed by, "Angela, how dare you use such vulgar language!"

"Bella, I'm coming round right now." and the line went dead. I stared at the receiver and groaned. _It's going to be a looong night_.

Exactly 10 minutes later, Angela was barging her way through my front door.

"Is your dad home?"

"No"

"Does your mum know yet?"

"No"

"RENEE!"

"Angela nooo!" I yelled as I jumped on her back and tried to cover her mouth with my hand. But it was too late, my mum was already skipping down the stairs.

"Gossip time!" Angela squealed and my mum's face lit up, next thing I knew I was being shoved onto a sofa and there was a glass of wine in my hand.

"Spill."

They listened in silence as I told them everything from the night of the club and from earlier today with Alice, editing certain details along the way. Even though my mum was a lot more lenient than my dad, there were things that she just shouldn't know.

Two bottles of wine later, we were rolling around the living room in fits of giggles. Mum was a nurse so naturally she knew all about Dr. Cullen and his _allure._ We'd been inventing doctor fantasies and the drunker we got, the more crude they became. This only triggered fresh attacks of laughter and we all had tears streaming down our faces.

We'd managed to control ourselves by the time my dad got home. He walked in the room taking one look at our red, tear soaked faces then at the two empty bottles on the table before abruptly walking out, muttering something under his breath.

My mother crawled over to me then and put her hands on my shoulders, I looked into her grey eyes as she slurred, "Honey, I'm so happy you've finally found yourself a nice boy. That Mike Newton was a right twat."

And that set us off again...

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**A/N: I am really sorry about Jasper's dialogue, it's pretty bad haha. I'll work on it I promise!**


	5. Chapter 5

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**Okay... I really hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you!**

**Disclaimer: You know I don't own Twilight... That's Stephenie Meyer business.**

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So there I was, sitting in the South Green Starbucks at 12.55pm waiting for Edward and completely shitting my pants. Angela made me come early so I'd have a moment to prepare myself and grab a decent seat. I was pretty happy about the location of this _meeting_ as it was somewhere me and Angela came to often. I chose to sit on a little suede sofa in the corner that we sat at sometimes when we wanted to distance ourselves from the world. It was comfy and private which I preferred for today, I wanted to get to know him without any distractions. I did briefly consider sitting by the window though, loads of people would walk past and see me with this seriously hot guy but I decided that was a little childish. _Maybe another time... If I'm lucky._

I bounced my knee restlessly and fidgeted with my clothes as I scanned every face that walked in, not sure if I was ready for him yet. I was glad that I was dressed in comfortable clothes because I was feeling pretty fragile. I kept it simple with my ripped jeans, Pixies t-shirt and my ratty black Doc Martens. I laughed quietly to myself as I recapped the events of that morning.

I'd woken up with a splitting headache but that was to be expected, guzzling down wine the night before wasn't exactly the wisest thing to do. _I don't even like wine. _I suppose it was worth it though, I hadn't laughed like that in _forever_. My mum was on fire last night, coming out with one shenanigan after another, me and Angela almost pissed ourselves on several occasions.

I'd sensed I wasn't alone in the bed and looked over to find Angela snoring peacefully next to me so I grabbed a lock of her pretty brown hair and pulled. She jerked upright yelling "WHADDAFUCKISAT?!" and slapping at her head. Despite my weary state, I couldn't help busting up laughing as her sleepy brown eyes made a poor attempt to glare at me. "Sorry... I couldn't... help..." I gasped in between loud snorts, Angela's lips twitched but she turned away before I could see her smile.

My mum crawled in at that point, groaning as she sat on the bed. We sat there for a good ten minutes in total silence, just staring at the walls and feeling sorry for ourselves until I decided it was time to actually get the hell up. I had an hour and a half until I had to be at Starbucks.

"Is dad home?"

"No, he's gone fishing with Harry so it's just us girlies again." She sighed as she lay down in the space I'd just vacated.

"Okay cool, I'm going in the shower. I'll leave the door unlocked." We only had one bathroom and I knew that as soon as I stepped foot in that shower, someone would be pounding on the door yelling about needing to piss.

Trying to get ready was a complete nightmare, I couldn't even straighten my hair without Angela and mum in my face constantly suggesting things I could do with with it. "I'm leaving it straight guys. Full stop. _Deal with it_." This started them off moaning, they moaned about _everything_ I did. It was driving me insane.

The biggest challenge was deciding on what to wear. I wanted to look good but at the same time, I wanted to be comfortable. My dilemma wasn't made any easier by the fact that I was having pairs of jeans and tops flung at me from every angle, so I told them to get the hell out of my room. Fifteen minutes later I emerged and was ready to go.

My mum's face was hilarious when she saw what I was wearing, I could tell she was about to argue but I shot her a look which told her not to bother. Angela was a little more supportive over my choice of attire, "You look pretty effin' cool, Bella!" _Good Angela, you've earned yourself a lift home for that._ I wasn't going to leave so early but Angela insisted so I dropped her off and made my way to Starbucks ten minutes early.

The door opened again, snapping me out of my reverie but it wasn't him. I checked the time on my phone. It was 1.01pm. _Oh my god he's not here yet, he's not coming. It really was a trick! Shit._ A million thoughts ran through my head and I started to panic. Alice hadn't called me like she said she would, maybe she meant she'd call to confirm... and she didn't call, so she didn't confirm. He wasn't coming. Through all my erratic panicking, I knew that deep down in my subconscious I was being ridiculous, _he's one minute late for fucks sake._

I didn't seem to be listening to my reasonable thoughts though as I flipped open my phone and started texting Angela. Half way through writing "HE'S NOT COMING" for the fifth time I heard the door open again but I was too far gone in my dismay to look up.

A few moments passed and I was about to press 'send' when I heard someone clear their throat. My head snapped up and sure enough, there was Edward Cullen standing in front of me. I shut my phone and stood up a little too quickly, earning myself a head rush. I swayed for a moment, trying to regain my sight properly. The whole time he stood and stared at me, _he must think I'm a complete retard._

"Hi" I whispered once I recovered, my eyes sweeping up and down his appearance. They stopped at his feet when I noticed he was wearing DMs too. I smirked and cocked an eyebrow at his choice of footwear and he mirrored my reaction. _Damn,_ I didn't remember him being this hot. His hair was dark and wild and his face just looked so... _lickable_.

"Nice boots." He seemed to be just as nervous as I was... which was good. _I think_.

"Thanks, you too... You wanna?" I gestured towards the counter, eager to get some damn coffee.

I ordered my usual Caramel Macchiato and Edward got a Chai Tea Latte. Once my coffee came I went and sat down on the sofa before anyone else could, even though it was pretty empty on a Sunday.

I watched as he sauntered over with his mug, taking note of his slight swagger. _Mmm I like that. _He sat next to me and I tried to control my breathing... He was close enough to touch. _Focus, Bella._

"So, you like the Pixies?" I thought he was blatantly checking out my boobs as he asked this but I realised he was only eyeing up my t-shirt. _Unless he's pretending to look at the t-shirt but he's really just looking at my chest. _I blushed at the thought.

"Yeah, _like_ is an understatement. You a fan?"

"Of course, Pixies are fucking amazing!"

The conversation flowed easily after that and I was thankful for my choice of t-shirt. Turns out we'd both gone on the same night to one of their reunion tour gigs back in 2005. I laughed at the memory of my 13 year old self getting swallowed up in that insane crowd. _Best gig ever._ We babbled on about music for a while, he had pretty similar taste to me so we had a lot to talk about.

He never directly looked at me when he was talking but I couldn't take my eyes off him, studying the movement of his perfect, full lips. When I spoke he'd look at my mouth too, occasionally darting his emerald eyes up to meet mine and making my heart stutter.

After an hour, my stomach decided to embarrass me by growling _really _fucking loudly. There was an awkward silence followed by a low chuckle. My cheeks flushed instantaneously.

"Sorry, I skipped breakfast."

"That's not healthy," he frowned and started to rise from his seat, "Come on, let's go get something to eat. There's a great place down the road."

As we walked down the street, I had the biggest urge to grab hold of his hand and let everyone know that I was out with Edward Cullen, even though they probably wouldn't know who he was. He had his swagger going again and I found it difficult to keep pace with his long strides. I was noticeably shorter than him, my head only came up to his chin. _Oh well, at least we don't look like Ben and Angela._

I was expecting to walk up to the little café me and Angela ate at sometimes, so when Edward stopped outside an Italian restaurant, I was pretty alarmed. I didn't have that much dosh on me. He noticed my hesitation and gave me a confused look.

"Don't you like Italian?"

"No I do, of course I do... My name is _Bella_ after all." I said, giving him a cocky smirk. His response to that was the most breathtaking smile I'd ever seen, literally. I felt like I'd been winded. His look of confusion returned.

"What's the matter then?"

"Ah I just... It's just a little pricey and I don't have much cash on me..." I mumbled, looking at the pavement between my boots. He scoffed and I raised my head slowly to look at him. _Probably thinks I'm a pathetic peasant. Stupid rich kid..._

"Bella, don't be so silly! I'm going to pay, obviously." He made sure he enunciated the last part to prove his point.

I hadn't taken note of what he'd said because I was too busy revelling in the way he'd said my name. It didn't sink in until after his figure had disappeared into the restaurant. _Shit. _I ran in to find he was already being seated so I stumbled towards the table, earning myself a dirty look from the waitress. Edward looked highly amused as I huffed and sat down opposite him.

"I don't like people paying for me. Let me at least give you the money I've got."

"Jeeeez, you're _so_ odd. Normal people love free food. I'm not letting you pay. Full stop. Deal with it." _Holy shit. He did not just use my line... _I gaped at him in shock as he looked down at the menu.

I sighed and picked up the menu but my eyes bugged out when I saw the prices. _£10 for a bit of lasagne?!_ To my horror I realised that it was the cheapest meal on the menu. _Guess I'm getting lasagne... _Edward ordered something expensive with a name I could never pronounce but the way he'd said it made me want to jump him right there.

"So Bella," _dammit he said my name again_. "Tell me about yourself, I don't know anything about you except that you have a great taste in music... and boots." he said with a slight smile gracing his lips.

"Well... I'm hoping to do an English Literature course at uni..."

"How comes?" He eyed me curiously.

"Well... I love literature. I want to become a teacher and help kids understand and appreciate it like I do..." Edward's expression changed to one of awe.

"Wow, that's really something..." He continued to gaze at me and I felt my cheeks start to burn.

"How about you?" I was desperate to take the focus off me.

"I don't plan on going to uni... I'm either going to keep running or keep writing music... or maybe both..." _huh_.

"Wait what?" I hadn't been expecting that answer, he'd taken me by surprise.

"I'm an athlete, a sprinter. I run in the 100m and in relays. I'm pretty damn fast..." He paused and wrinkled up his nose. "I write lyrics and music, that's another passion of mine. People buy and use my material so I could make a living out of that too... Whichever I choose to pursue, I know I'll be better off than if I go to uni." It was my turn to look in awe. As I'd watched him talk, I noticed him become more confident and animated, he was looking at me a lot more too.

"That's amazing, Edward." I whispered, saying his name out loud caused my breath to catch in my throat. He gave me a timid smile and dropped his eyes to the table. The waitress came along with our food then and we ate in comfortable silence for a while, occasionally making eye contact and smiling at each other.

"Tell me about your friends."

"Well... I spend most my time with Angela." _Wow it'd never dawned on my before that I only have one friend... _"She's actually my cousin. Is it bad that the only friend I have is actually related to me?"

He grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Not really, not to someone who spends all their time with their siblings..." We laughed quietly as it dawned on us how sad we really were and then I remembered what Angela had said about him really being their cousin. I wanted to know more but it wasn't my place to ask so I fought to kill my curiosity.

For the rest of the meal, we talked about how shit school was, sharing stories about eccentric teachers and moments of rebellion. I was pretty damn gutted when it was time to leave, there was so much I wanted to know about him and I prayed that this wasn't the last time I'd get to see him. Much to my annoyance, he picked up the bill and wouldn't let me see how much it was. After he paid, we walked out of the restaurant and paused in the street, turning to each other slowly trying to prolong our time together.

"Have you got a car?"

"Yeah." _Starting to wish I didn't so I can have a bit more time with your sexiness..._

"Oh... Okay well, I've had a really great time with you. Can I see you again?" _YEEEES YEEEES YES YES YES. FUCK YES! Calm Bella..._

"Yeah, that would be nice." I grinned at him, couldn't help it. My cool façade was starting to slip. We swapped numbers and then it was time to part.

"Cya soon, Bella" He said as he leaned in to kiss my cheek, his lips lingered there for just a second longer than necessary but I wasn't complaining. I felt dizzy as I watched him turn around and walk off in the opposite direction.

It took a while for my legs to move but once they did, I was practically running to my car. I had to tell Angela _everything._

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**A/N: Reviews are nice, tell me what you thought :)**


	6. Chapter 6

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**Sorry about the wait guys, had some stuff to take care of... This is just a short chapter to shorten your wait a little bit. Working on the next one right now! Hope you enjoy this one anyway.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight**

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"Bella babes?" _Go away._

"Bella wake up." _I don't want to._

"BELLA!" _Oh for fucks sake..._

"ALRIGHT! I'm getting up mum, jeez." _Eurgh..._ _Monday morning_. My favourite day of the week. NOT.

I watched my mum with weary eyes as she walked away from my bed and toward the curtains, quickly pulling my covers over my head as she yanked them back and invited grey light to invade my room. After a few minutes of complaining to myself, I tumbled out of bed and hurried toward the bathroom.

When I'd told my mum about the date, she simply smiled at me and ruffled my hair. It was a knowing smile and it freaked me out, I hated it when she did that because I could never tell what she was thinking. Angela's reaction was a lot more animated...

"AAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAA MY GOD!" She'd screamed. She jumped up on her bed and started doing this insane dance she'd made up when we were younger. It involved a lot of spanking her own backside. "You and Edward Cullen. Edward _CULLEN _and you. EDWARD _FUCKING _CULLEN! Shit, we need to makes t-shirts!" She was always one to overreact but I was glad to have someone I could share my excitement with.

I stood in the shower, allowing the warm water to fall over my face and clear my head. I was still finding it hard to believe I'd been on a date with the most beautiful guy in the world yesterday. Okay maybe that was a bit on an exaggeration... But he was definitely the hottest guy in London.

I couldn't get over the way he kissed my cheek... A shiver went through me as I recalled the warmth of his breath against my skin. _Damn..._My thoughts started to wander towards what he'd said about being a runner, I could just imagine what his body looked like... The ripple of his muscles as he ran...

Suddenly there was a loud _THUD THUD THUD _on the door followed by, "BELLLAAAAA! GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE YOU'VE BEEN TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES"

"SORRY DAAAD!"

_Whoops, guess I got a bit carried away..._

The drive to school was pretty uneventful, _as usual_. I picked up Angela and Ben and tried to ignore their makeout session in the back, _as usual_. Man I couldn't wait to get the hell out of this routine, to get the hell away from school. I know that it seems dumb that I'd want to leave school to become a teacher then go _back_ to school but, I knew it'd be different if I got to do something I felt passionate about everyday.

For some reason, I had a terrible feeling that today was going to be shit.

* * *

I was right. Today _was _shit.

The morning had passed by in a blur, the only good thing that happened was when Lauren Mallory fell down the stairs. _Actually who am I kidding? _I hadn't laughed that hard in forever. It was just the way she fell... She'd worn these stupid heels to school and everyone could see she was trying _really _hard to look sexy and cool as she descended the stairs but her ankle twisted and she just tumbled down, grabbing on to Jessica on the way and then sending Tyler flying down too. By the end, there was a heap of students at the bottom of the stairs.

Me and Angela had been crying with laughter all the way through lunch and I was glad I'd have that that image in my mind forever.

Apart from that, my day was horrible. All courtesy of Mike 'Twat' Newton.

I'd been in the library, flicking through a book about James Dean when I felt somebody's arms snake around my waist. I smelt him before I saw him. Smelt like shit. I jerked my head round and there was Mike, grinning at me like a Cheshire cat.

"Can I help you?" I tried to pry his arms away but he had a pretty tight grip on me.

"Mmm, you're smelling good Isa..." I grimaced at his nickname for me, I hadn't heard him call me that for a long time and it made me feel sick.

"Don't call me that and get the fuck off me, please." I sneered, trying to struggle my way free.

"Aww, come on baby... You never used to be like this. What happened?" He pulled me closer and I searched around desperately for someone to come and help me but we were at the back and behind a huge bookcase.

"Get over it Mike! We happened ages ago! Plus, you never used to be such a creep." I growled through gritted teeth and shoved against his chest. "Now get off me before I scream." He ran his hand over my body, letting it linger over my crotch and then he let me go.

"This isn't over."

"Just stay away from me you prick." I hurried towards the front of the library, fighting back tears of anger and ran into Ben.

"Woah! Slow down Bella, where's the fire?" I couldn't look him in the eye I was so afraid that I'd just start crying if I did.

"Shit, what's the matter?" I couldn't hold them back anymore, looking up and letting him see how upset I was, I told him what'd happened with Mike and anger immediately flashed in his eyes.

"Where is he? I'm gonna rip his fucking head off!" I grabbed him and pushed him out the library door.

"Fuck it! He's not worth it Ben..." I looked up into his big blue eyes and pleaded with him not to go back. I was glad he acted like a brother to me but I didn't want him to get in to trouble for something as stupid as _Mike Newton_. Unfortunately, Angela came along at the moment and took in my slightly frazzled appearance.

"What the hell happened?!" She demanded.

"Nothing! Nothing happened." I pushed my way passed them and headed in the direction of our next lesson.

"Mike practically tried to rape Bella in the library!" Ben blurted.

"WHAT?! WHERE IS HE? I'M GONNA CUT HIS BOLLOCKS OFF!"

"He's exaggerating, Ang! Fucking hell, leave it out. We're gonna be late." I grabbed their arms and yanked them away from the library. I had to spend the rest of the day listening to their death threats.

I sighed as I climbed in to bed, pulling my soft covers up to my chin and snuggling down. I'd been trying not to think about Edward all day but there was nothing to distract me when I was all alone in bed. It was difficult not to think about the intensity of his deep green eyes or the way one corner of his mouth would pull up when he smiled. My eyes fluttered closed and I just started to feel sleep seeping its way into my conscience when there was a loud buzzing and a bright light appeared to my left.

I groaned and reached over to my phone, expecting it to be Angela suggesting yet another way to castrate Mike. My eyes grew impossibly wide when I saw Edwards name on the screen, my whole body flushed and it suddenly became harder to breathe.

I opened up the message and literally swooned when I read it:

_Thinking of you.  
Sweet dreams.  
Edward x_

I held my phone to my chest and realised I was grinning like a maniac. I could feel myself falling hard and fast for Edward and I'd only met him once. _That's how fast..._

I think it was safe to say that I went to bed smiling that night, all traces of my bad day washed away...

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**A/N: Reviews are awful nice!**


	7. Chapter 7

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****A/N: Okay, couple of things... **

**Firstly, sorry it took me so long to update... My mind was constipated for a while lol, but thanks for being patient with me!**

**Secondly, I know Bella's birthday is supposed to be in September but I moved it to April to fit in with my story. Hope noone minds too much...**

**Thirdly, I wanna say a MASSIVE thank you to two of my favourite authors, MissAlex and MsNaomi05 who've been really encouraging and supportive. They both have AWESOME FanFics which you should go and read! **

**MissAlex writes Rebel Without A Cause (It's set in the 50s and DeanWard is amazing, I'm seriously in love with him) **

**MsNaomi05 writes Reservations with her friend EmmaleeWrites05 (It's Bella and Emmett in this story and I love it!)**

**If you haven't already, check them out! You'll find them in my favourite stories :)**

**Also, thanks to everyone who's reviewed, it really means a lot! Please continue to do so :)**

**LAST THING, I put links on my profile to pictures of the type of hat Bella's wearing so if you don't understand my description, go and look.  
Hope you enjoy the chapter! It's actually a bit longer for once lol**

**Disclaimer: Twilight... not mine.... Stephenie Meyer... Blah blah...**

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The rest of the week seemed to drag on, just a blur of droning teachers, irritating classmates and a load of creepy stares from creepy guys. Also, much to my annoyance, Angela wouldn't shut the hell up about my birthday next week.

I really didn't want any fuss, even if it was my 18th and she knew that. I was bombarded with constant suggestions on where to go, what to do... _who to invite_.

I made a point to block it all out by filling my mind with everything Edward. We'd been texting each other a lot but it was doing nothing to ease my ache to see him again, to have a proper conversation with him and to gaze in to those lush green eyes. On Thursday night it had actually become unbearable, I had to see him again. I decided it was up to me to make the first move. So I text him.

**How opposed would you be  
to missing school tomorrow?  
- Bella x**

I drummed my fingers nervously on my knee, waiting for his reply. Anxiety dominated my thoughts, _What if he doesn't text back? Or turns me down?_

Approximately seven minutes later, Edward still hadn't replied and I'd chewed all my fingernails to shit. I decided to go find my mum because I needed to take my mind off things. _Things_ being Edward.

I popped my head round the door of the living room and found my dad sprawled across the sofa watching football. "Dad?" He looked up at me, a little shocked to see me downstairs for once. I usually hid away in my room night and day.

"Is mum home?" His face fell momentarily but he composed it quickly, I guess he thought I was coming to talk to him.

"No honey, she's gone out with Sue."

"Oh..." I looked down at his big brown eyes and instantly felt guilty. I never spoke to him anymore. "Well, nevermind." I shrugged as I walked over to one of the armchairs opposite him and flopped down.

He gave me the most heart-warming smile and I made a mental note to myself to hang out with my dad more often. Conversation hadn't always come as easily with us but I could tell that just being here was enough for him.

"How was work?"

"Ah you know, helped a few troubled kids, locked up a few scumbags. The usual stuff." He chuckled. "How was school?"

"Same shit, different day." I sighed. I wondered if he'd shout at me for saying _shit_ but when I looked up at him, he was shaking with laughter.

"Ah well, only a few months left Bells..." His smile faltered for a second and he suddenly looked a bit uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and adjusted the cushions on the sofa.

"Erm, your mum was telling me that you've met a boy..." I looked at him in horror, watching his face flush and feeling mine do the same. _I'm going to kill her._

"Daaaad..." I didn't know what to say! "It's not... We're not... It's early days..." I'd never cringed so hard in my life.

"It's okay Bella, I just don't want my little girl getting hurt that's all. I hope he's good enough for you." I smiled at him, trying to recall why we'd become so distant recently.

"Thanks dad, I think he's pretty special... But like I said, early days." He nodded his head and we sat for a while in content silence. When I decided to go back upstairs, I kissed him on the forehead as I passed and he ruffled my hair. _Yup_, I was definitely going to try harder with him from now on.

When I got back to my room, I spied my phone flashing on my bed and pounced on it. Even though I had an idea of who it would be, my heart still somersaulted in my chest when I read the name on the screen.

**I honestly think I'd benefit  
from a day off, especially  
if I got to spend the day with  
you... What you got in mind?  
- E x**

I think I passed out for a second._ He said yes! Now what..._ I sat up on my bed and chewed on my lip, I hadn't exactly planned this far so I went with the lame option of...

**You can decide :)  
- Bella x**

I know that was pretty sad of me but I was sure if he decided, it would turn out to be a much better day. I jumped up when my phone rang immediately after I'd sent the text. _Edward._ My heart started racing a million miles per second and this tight feeling grew in my throat, it had been too long since I'd heard his voice. I answered with a shakey "Hello?". Edward's silky voice flowed out from the other end and I flushed at the sound.

"Hello Bella, I thought this would be easier than texting." He laughed lightly, "Hope you don't mind."

"N-no no... don't mind..."

"You know that was pretty unfair making me decided all by myself..." Mock sadness filled his voice.

I giggled but didn't say anything, I was too tongue tied.

"But... I guess I do know all the best places to go." I could imagine him wearing a cocky smirk as he said this and I wished I was by his side. "How about we get the train into the city and see where the day takes us."

"That sounds great, Edward." I was still having trouble breathing so it came out in a whisper.

"Excellent. Well, meet me at the South Green station at... hmm, is nine-thirty okay?"

"Perfect, I'll see you then." He could probably tell I was smiling because it was pretty evident in my voice. He chuckled softly, my eyes closed as I absorbed the sound, my smile growing wider.

"Goodnight Bella, sweet dreams." and with that, he was gone. I stared wide-eyed at my phone for a while, I'd _definitely_ be having sweet dreams tonight.

Just as I was finishing getting ready for bed, I heard the front door open followed by a loud crash and _a lot_ of giggling. _Mum's home..._ I walked out the bathroom and found her crawling up the stairs with a huge goofy grin on her face.

"Oh mum, not again..." I sighed, she always got like this when she went out with Sue. I'd have to ban them from going out together, too much of a bad influence on eachother. I gave her a disapproving look but fought a smile as she collapsed halfway up the stairs. My dad appeared behind her then, grabbing on to her waist and helping her up. There was a hint of something passing between them as they ascended and I knew instantly what that meant. _Yuk._

"Er, goodnight!" I blurted as I slammed my bedroom door, seriously glad that their room was down the hall. I crawled into bed praying sleep would come to me soon...

I couldn't wait to see Edward again.

* * *

The moment I woke up, I rang Angela to let her know she'd have to get the bus to school. She seemed annoyed about it until I told her I was spending the day with Edward.

I told my parents that my first lesson had been cancelled so they didn't suspect anything when I didn't leave the house at my normal time. I jumped in the shower and tried to organise my thoughts as I washed my hair. I loved going into central London, sometimes I went on my own, all you had to do was hop on the Tube and you could go anywhere you wanted. I wondered where we'd end up today, I guess not knowing made it even more exciting.

Today we'd just... _Go with the flow_. I smiled to myself because that was my motto in life.

I finished up in the shower and headed back to my room, my parents had already gone so I could turn my music up loud. I couldn't decide on what I wanted to listen to though so I settled for whatever was on the radio.

I didn't know what to wear, it as cold outside but for once it didn't look like it was going to rain. We may just avoid the April showers today.

I decided to go with a pair of dark skinny jeans and this white baggy, off-shoulder jumper. I dried and straightened my hair then did my make-up. I kept it simple, not wanting to look like I tried too hard so I stuck to the foundation, eyeliner and mascara combo.

I still had half an hour until I had to meet Edward so I went downstairs to eat breakfast, not wanting a repeat of the stomach growling incident. I filled up on toast and orange juice then went back upstairs to brush my teeth. After that I grabbed my hat, it was one of those grey bobble hats with the strings coming off the earflaps and shoved it on my head. English weather was so annoying, I couldn't wait for the summer when I could wear less layers. I put my Vans on and picked up my bag. _Time to go..._

It felt like a swarm of butterflies were fluttering around in my belly, it was hard to believe that I'd be spending the day with Edward Cullen.

I had one final look in the mirror before I left the house. My hair was straight, my face looked okay and my clothes looked good. _Sorted. _I took a deep breath and left the house, each step I took brought me closer to Edward.

It hadn't taken me long to get to the station, I was a few minutes early though and Edward wasn't there yet so I leant on the wall and waited. I promised myself that I wouldn't go crazy if he was a few minutes late... _He's not going to stand you up... He's not going to stand you up... _I repeated to myself.

Just as my anxiety was becoming unbearable, I saw a God-like figure in the distance walking towards me. I straightened up my clothes and adjusted my hat in a last minute attempt to make myself presentable. My breath was coming out in sharp huffs. When I looked up again I let out a muted gasp. He was only a few feet away from me now and he looked... _he looked_... I don't think there were words to describe how he looked.

He was grinning at me, his face the picture of pure perfection. His skin was pale against his dark hair but his nose had turned red from the cold. I could swear he got better looking every time I saw him. I tore my eyes away from his face to check out what he was wearing and subconsciously raised an eyebrow appreciatively at his attire. Under his black jacket, he had on a tight grey Hollister polo shirt which confirmed to me that his torso was indeed, _extremely _muscular.

I realised I was staring with my mouth open so I snapped it shut and my face burned crimson, _typical_. Before I knew it, he was standing in front of me and I was gaping again.

"Hey," He smirked, he blatantly caught me checking him out. There was something different about him today, he seemed more confident, much more relaxed. I greeted him back shyly, dropping my gaze to my shoes for a moment. When I looked back up he had a dazed look on his face.

"Wow Bella... You look..." He stumbled as he looked me up and down. "So cute." He finished. Hell that was good enough for me, my stomach was doing flips.

"Lets go!" I giggled, deciding to be outgoing and grabbing on to his forearm, leading him in to the station. I tried to ignore the fact that his arm muscle was rock hard under my fingertips.

Making sure we had plenty of money on our Oyster Cards, we beeped through the barriers and stepped on to the escalators. As we descended towards our adventure, Edward flashed me the sexiest smile _ever _and I had to bite my lip to stop myself blurting out how hot he was.

The Underground always excited me. It was so easy to meet weird and interesting people on the Tube. I bounced on my heels in anticipation as the train came thundering down the track.

"Where to first, boss?" I shouted over the noise of our approaching chariot.

He bent down slightly so I could hear him better even though the train had slowed down now, "Not telling you. It's a surprise." he grinned as he turned towards the doors. We stepped on to a fairly empty carriage, luckily we'd just about avoided the rush hour.

"That's not fair!" I huffed as I sat opposite him. "You have to tell me where I'm going!" I complained. He just stuck out his chin arrogantly and pretended not to hear me. The train started to move and I shoved his knee with my shoe playfully, "Edward! Tell me!" He looked back at me with an innocent expression on his face and mouthed 'Sorry, can't hear you' over the noise of the train.

"Cheeky..." I muttered and narrowed my eyes at him. My attempt to act pissed off at him was feeble though, I took one look at his amused expression and felt my lips curling up without my permission. _Damn._

We didn't talk much on the train, the only way conversation would be possible was to shout and it was way too early for that. We settled for the occasional sheepish smile and exchanged a few words every time we stopped at a station.

I looked around the carriage, we were the youngest people there. Everyone else were in suits, reading the morning papers and checking their watches every few minutes. I caught this one woman looking at me, she looked about thirty-five, was dressed up smartly and had her blonde hair tied up in a bun. She grinned at me, pointed to Edward then gave me two thumbs up. I giggled and grinned back, the lady had great taste.

I turned my head back to find Edward giving me a questioning look, I shook my head and tried not to laugh. The train slowed as it approached Covent Garden station and Edward stood up. He held out his hand and helped me up, steadying me as it violently jerked to a stop.

As I watched the doors slide open, I have to admit I felt disappointment in him, I thought he'd be more creative than this and Covent Garden was frankly quite predictable. Even though I loved it with all my heart, I'd been here millions of times before and I was hoping to see another part of the city today. As if he'd read my mind and much to my relief, Edward assured me that we were "only passing through." I waved goodbye to the lady as we stepped off and pondered on where he could be taking me to.

We exited the station and stepped out onto the familiar grey cobblestones of Covent Garden. I smiled as we walked past the street buskers that lined the walkway, getting ready to start their days work. One man stood like a statue, half naked and sprayed from head to toe in silver. I flicked 10p into the hat on the floor and watched as he came alive. He walked towards me, taking my hand without a word and placing a kiss on the back of it.

Naturally, I blushed and giggled. "Are you not cold?" I asked in disbelief. The silver man shook his head and flexed his muscles, winking at me before taking a few steps back and freezing into a statue again.

"Wow" I breathed. Looking up at Edward I could swear I saw a hint of jealously on his face. I fought back a smile and as he pulled me towards the market. It was fairly busy, we dodged our way around stools and handfuls of tourists getting excited over the souvenirs of London. I chuckled and pointed out some of the rude t-shirts on sale. I especially liked one that said, _NOBODY KNOWS I'M A LESBIAN._

There was one stall full of little fairy figurines, they were all so beautiful and reminded me of when me and Angela where little. We used to dress up as fairies and cover ourselves in glitter. I picked up one fairy which was lying on a fiery red flower, she had long flowing brown hair and her silver wings were pure elegance.

"For Angela," I explained to Edward. He picked one up from the other side. She was effortlessly pirouetting on one tiny foot, her hands raised above her short black hair. "Ah, Alice." I guessed. He nodded and his green eyes gleamed with excitement.

"We've got a bit of walking to do now, is that okay?" He asked after we'd bought our figurines and exited the market.

"No, of course it's not okay!" I mocked, laying the sarcasm on thick. "I demand you carry me!"

Edward cocked an eyebrow at me and before I knew it, the pavement had disappeared from beneath my feet and he'd scooped me up in his arms. I let out a pathetic squeak as the air rushed out of my lungs.

"Edward! Put me down!" I gasped, hitting his arm and kicking my legs in protest. "I'll scream, I really will Edward."

"Relax Bella, I won't drop you." He chuckled and carried on walking, ignoring my threats and the stares from people around us. I considered arguing again but a voice in my head pointed out that I was in his strong arms and I should be enjoying it.

I made one more half-arsed attempt of protest by quietly shouting, "Help! Police!" to noone in particular then slid my arms around his shoulders. He burst out laughing but his grip never loosened on me.

We joked as he walked and I savoured every minute of it, after about 5 minutes he was was still carrying me as if it was no big deal. I wondered if he was tired yet and masking it well or just a lot stronger than he looked.

"Aren't you tired yet?"

"Don't be silly Bella, you hardly weigh anything. I could probably run holding you like this." He scoffed.

"Don't you dare!" I tried to glare at him but he just made me smile. "You can put me down now if you want."

"Nah, in a minute. If I'm honest, I think we travel a lot faster when you're not walking." I watched his mouth twist as he tried not to laugh and this time I really did glare.

As we approached Waterloo Bridge, Edward set me down but wrapped his arm around my waist, causing me to look up at him in surprise.

"I'm scared you'll fall over the edge," He joked.

"Ha ha." I said dryly.

The wind was vicious as we crossed the bridge but it gave me a reason to snuggle closer into Edward as we walked. I looked down at the murky river and watched as a river taxi gradually made it's way across the water. It slowly occurred to me where we were heading as we reached the end of the bridge.

"You're taking me to South Bank." I stated with a smile on my face, I absolutely loved it here. It was by far the coolest place in London, rich with youthful expression and artistic passion, photographers loved to shoot here.

"Yeah but, this isn't the surprise. I just felt like coming here first." He winked. My heart stopped.

We walked along the Thames, taking in the atmosphere and using the time to get to know eachother a little better. I loved how easy it was to be with him, effortless conversation about anything and everything. I'd never been so open with a guy before and it felt strange to be putting myself in such a vulnerable position, allowing him to see the real Bella. But as crazy at it felt, I just had so much trust in him.

Eventually, we arrived at the underground skate park. It wasn't originally a skate park but the structure of the underpass was so skate friendly, the skaters just sort of... took over. Some of the best skaters in London came to practice here and almost every surface was tattooed in graffiti. One of the guys looked up at us as we stopped to watch, he was wearing a Blink 182 hoodie, cut off jeans and his dirty blonde hair poked out from under his cap.

He seemed to be staring at Edward and Edward was staring right back.

"Rocky?"

"Eddie?"

"Shit!"

"No fucking way!"

_Huh?_

They ran towards eachother and did that weird one arm man hug thing.

"Look at you, man! You turned in to one of those pansy posh boys" Rocky mocked, punching him in the arm. Edward laughed and pretended to look hurt. He looked at my confused expression and beckoned me closer.

"Bella, this is my old friend Rocky. Rocky this is my... er... this is Bella." He stuttered. I smiled at Rocky and tried to ignore Edwards hesitation.

"Me and Jasper used to skate here years ago..." He explained, he looked around and let out a nostalgic sigh.

"Jasper! How's that guy doing? Still with Alice?" Rocky asked as he pushed his board back and forth with his foot.

"He's great, him and Alice are still going strong... sorry mate," Edward chuckled as Rocky made no attempt to hide his disappointment and stole the board from under his foot. His smooth brow furrowed briefly as he stared down at the board. "Been too long..." he muttered and suddenly flipped the board up and did an ollie on the spot.

He nodded in satisfaction as he stepped off the board and looked at me. "You wanna have a go?" I stared blankly at him for a moment before letting out a slightly hysterical laugh.

"Hmm, nevermind." He frowned. "Hey Rocky, you got a can on you?" I had no idea what a can was or why Edward suddenly looked so determined.

"Yeah yeah... In my bag... Over there..." Rocky mumbled, pointing distractedly to the left as he tried to master a trick on his board.

Edward walked off for a moment and returned with a can of red spray paint.

"Come on, I want to show you something." He grinned as he grabbed my hand and gently pulled me towards something. He seemed to be searching along the wall for something in the graffiti.

"Ah! Found it," he knelt down and pointed to three sets of initials graffed into the wall. _AC, JW _and_ EAC _with _July 2005_ underneath. "We used to come here all the time when we were younger... We did this the day me and Alice met Jasper. I'm glad this is still here, it's like a piece of history." His mouth pulled up at one side and formed into his crooked grin. He shook the can and handed it to me.

I didn't even hesitate, in the space next to the initials I sprawled in big, swirly letters, _Bella S. _I didn't want to put my initials because I was all too aware that they stood for bullshit_._ I handed the can back to Edward and he sprayed just underneath mine, _Edward C _and then the date, _April 3__rd__ 2009. _

Our eyes met then and I felt something pass between us, it was like _we'd _just made history. Rocky skated along then, breaking up our moment and whistling appreciatively at our handy work.

"We better get going, still have lots to do." Edward said, jumping up. He exchanged numbers with Rocky, promising to meet up soon and then we were off again. We walked through a number of unfamiliar streets until we got to a main road, he still wouldn't tell me where we were going. Not even a hint.

When Edward flagged down a black cab, I scolded him and told him there was nothing wrong with the Tube. He just shrugged and chuckled, apparently he "couldn't be bothered" for that.

He covered his hands over my ears as he told the cabby where to take us so I wouldn't hear. I could feel the excitement growing in my stomach but told myself not to get too carried away, I might be disappointed with his surprise. Deep down, I knew the chances of that happening were very slim.

I looked at the time on the dashboard and was shocked to see that it was only twelve-thirty, we still had the whole day ahead of us and that thought alone was enough to make me giddy.

Twenty minutes later, we pulled up somewhere and got out. It wasn't until Edward had paid for the cab and it had driven off that I realised where we were. Across the road was the bold white lettering marking the entrance to London Zoo.

I stared up at Edward, my expression wide-eyed and questioning. He gave me one slow nod to confirm that this was the surprise.

I felt a manic smile creep onto my face, I hadn't been to the zoo since I was a kid and I was so fucking excited. Without thinking I launched myself into Edward, almost knocking him back and hugged his waist. He laughed and took hold of the strings on my hat, "Come on kiddie." he mocked as he yanked downwards, causing it to cover my eyes.

"Oi! You cheeky bugger." I yelled, pushing it up to find he was already half way across the road.

I insisted I pay for my admission, much to Edward's annoyance. My argument was that I was a working woman and that if he respected me, he would let me embrace my independence. The look on his face was priceless.

We went to the Aquarium first. I gasped as we walked in, it felt like a fantasy world. There were no walls, just floor to ceiling glass with an endless amount of blue behind them. I pushed my face up to the glass, watching all the pretty fish swimming by. I was focused on a school of colourful angelfish when this huge shark came out of nowhere and swan right past my face. I screamed and jumped back, much to my embarrassment and Edward's amusement, everyone turned to look at me.

"It's not funny!" I scowled, on the verge of hyperventilation. "I could've had a heart attack!" But this only made Edward laugh even harder.

It took a while for him to get me to talk to him again. He eventually had to result to imitating the fish in order to make me laugh. It was absurd, even as he pulled goofy faces, he still looked absolutely gorgeous and entirely fuckable. My laughter died down as I marvelled at his eyes, the turquoise from the aquarium made them look a luminous shade of green.

As we ventured around the rest of the zoo, Edward made a point to imitate every single animal we saw. The spider monkeys were my favourite, "Look it's you," Edward joked as he pointed to the smallest one. It had little tufts of hair on it's head and was nibbling on a piece of banana. I guessed it was still a little baby.

We turned around to see the huge lion enclosure. A large male lion was sitting at the top of the hill watching his pride in a regal way, his dark mane was ruffling slightly in the wind. "And he reminds me of you," I mocked. When I glanced at the information by the enclosure, I almost died laughing, my loud howling caused the spider monkeys to jump up and down excitedly behind us. The lion's name was Edward.

"Yeah okay, very funny Bella," he sighed, rolling his eyes but I could tell he was amused.

"Are you not going to give me a lion impression?" I pouted.

"Roar" He said sarcastically.

"Spoilsport" I muttered.

I boldly slipped my hand into his and he swung them between us whilst we walked around the rest of the zoo. I knew the day was coming to an end when we got to the gift shop, I didn't want it to but I was actually knackered. Edward bought me a little stuffed toy spider monkey and I bought him a toy lion. We left the zoo in high spirits, our adoration for eachother filled our words and actions.

"Lets get a taxi back. I'm too tired to get the train." He said, raising his hand to stifle a yawn.

"Edward no, that's going to cost a fortune," I argued. I didn't want him to waste money on a cab when we could pay about £1 for the Underground.

"I've got a fortune, come on Bella. I'm getting one regardless, it's up to you whether you get in or not." He smirked as I watched him in disbelief. He swaggered up to a parked cab and hopped in. Obviously, I ran and got in after him. I gave the driver my address then settled back into the large black seat, resting my head on Edward's shoulder as he put his arm around me.

The cab ride seemed to be over in two minutes. I'd closed my eyes for – what seemed like – just a second but next thing I knew, Edward was gently nudging me awake. I groggily looked out to see my house, no lights on though. I'd beaten my parents home.

"Oh... already? I fell asleep didn't I..." He chuckled and nodded, placing my monkey in my arm and kissing my temple. I blushed and turned to open the door. "Thanks for today, it was... perfect."

"Any time," He grinned. "Take care, Bella" I gave him my most sincere smile and stumbled out the cab. I stood at my front door and watched it drive off, waving goodbye. Everything felt so surreal.

I made my way into the house and ran up to my room.

_First thing's first_, I called Angela.

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**A/N: What did you think? Review and let me know :)**


	8. Chapter 8

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**Sorry about the wait!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight is Stephenie Meyers.**

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The shop – sorry – The _Boutique _had been starved of customers all day and Mimi was doing my head in. She was constantly asking if I knew when Alice would be dropping by next and it started to dawn on me that Alice actually was Carousel Boutique's best customer.

There was literally nothing to do, I spent most of the morning with my head on the counter daydreaming about Edward. My daydream had started off innocent enough, I was simply thinking about where we'd go next, what we'd do, what I'd wear...

But as my boredom peaked at an unbearable level, my daydream got pretty crazy. It eventually evolved into Edward and I rolling around in the back seat of a very expensive sports car. I'm surprised I wasn't salivating.

I was so caught up in my naughty scenario, I didn't even notice the door open. I vaguely registered someone saying my name but it took me a moment to snap out of my trance.

Eventually my eyes focused and I was startled to see Alice standing there with a suspicious look on her face, "Are you... okay?" She hedged, gripping the edge of the counter with her perfectly polished fingernails and peering up at me.

"Yeah, sorry I was daydreaming." _About doing your brother..._

"Well it must've been pretty intense, I called your name at least five times." She laughed, raising her eyebrows at me. I was about to give her a bullshit excuse when something outside caught my eye.

Just like the human embodiment of a goddess, standing outside in a spurt of gold with her golden hair and golden limbs, Rosalie was leaning against a golden convertible, talking on the phone. She looked like she was shooting an advert for cars, clothes and mobile phones all the the same time.

"Wow." I breathed. I would totally turn gay for Rose if I wasn't hit by waves of jealousy when I looked at her. "What car is that?"

"Erm, a Lambo of some sort... You'll have to ask Rose, she and Emmett are car fanatics." She sighed, "You should see our garage at the moment, it looks like a showroom."

I watched in awe as Rosalie strut into the shop. "Hello stranger!" She grinned. "We thought we'd come and keep you company."

"And you know, pry in to my brother's love life a little while we're here." Alice winked as she settled down in one of the antique armchairs opposite the counter.

Oh._ Brilliant_.

There was silence for a while as I watched Rose casually stroll around the shop, looking uninterested as she studied random, expensive items.

"So Bella, how was yesterday?" She asked suddenly, disrupting the quiet. I looked over to find Alice was staring at me intently from the chair, leaning forward slightly.

"Um..." I couldn't find the right words to describe yesterday without sounding like a moron. _Amazing? Magical? Unbelievable?_ "Great." I settled with, giving them a lame smile.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and Alice huffed as she threw herself back into the chair.

"_Come on_, Bella! You have to give us more than that!" Alice whined, exasperation filled her voice. I was confused... Wouldn't they get this information from Edward? Rose came over then and perching on the arm of Alice's chair, she answered my silent question.

"Edward won't tell us _anything_. Not even where you went or what you did..." She frowned and pouted, "All we know is that he's had this damn goofy grin on his face ever since he got back." I smiled to myself at this new information, it made me hopeful.

Rosalie's electric blue eyes where boring into mine, demanding more information. I sighed, there was no way I could avoid this.

"We went into London... Covent Garden, South Bank and then the zoo."

"He took you to the South Bank?" Alice's eye's lit up as she sat bolt upright. "I haven't been down there in forever..." And then her eyes were far away, a nostalgic smile creeping onto her lips.

"Yeah, he showed me your initials and we saw... Rocky?" I was certain that was his name.

"OH MY GOD, ROCKY!!!" Alice squealed, causing me and Rose to wince and cover our ears. "Why wouldn't Edward tell me he saw Rocky, what a little prick that boy is!"

"Rocky... Isn't he that scummy blonde kid that used to compete with Jasper for your affection?" Rosalie chuckled, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Yeah... what can I say? I guess I have a thing for blondes..." She smirked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at Rose before turning back to me, expression turning deadly serious. "Did you guys kiss?"

"No." I didn't mean to be so blunt with my answer but I really didn't know what to say. It didn't bother me much though, yesterday had felt intimate enough even though we didn't kiss. Not that I wasn't dying to feel his perfect lips against mine... I just knew it would be worth the wait.

"Hopeless." She muttered, looking up at Rosalie and shrugging.

Suddenly the door burst open and Angela was standing there looking ridiculously over-excited. She hadn't seen that I was in company yet because there was a pillar between the door and the chairs. "HAVE YOU _SEEN _THAT LAMBORG- OH!" Her eyes bugged out as she stepped forward and registered Alice and Rose's presence.

I stifled my laughter as she flushed crimson and gaped at them like an idiot. She practically considered them to be the teen royalty of London even though I've told her many times that there is already _actual_ real teen royalty... like proper princes and princesses. She needed to stop watching Mean Girls so much.

"Glad you like my car, it's a Gallardo." Rosalie grinned, flipping her long hair over her shoulder.

"Alice, Rose – This is my best friend slash cousin – Angela." I almost threw something at her to snap her out of her shock.

"Woah you're so tall!" Alice exclaimed.

"And hot! Damn you're hot!" Rosalie added. Angela looked like she was about to have a heart-attack, which was funny because she never reacted like that when _I_ told her she was hot.

"Thanks," She choked.

"So like, have you ever considered modelling?" Rose asked, "I model part time and could easily hook you up."

Truth was, Angela had always fantasised about being a model but her dad threatened to disown her if she ever tried to do anything like that. I glanced at her now and she had a look of defiance on her face.

"I'd love to be a model, I just didn't know where to start." She said confidently looking Rose dead straight in the eye.

"Well then, stick with me and I'll sort you out." Me and Alice watched as they exchanged numbers and got lost in deep conversation. I could tell they were going to be great friends in the future.

Alice got up and stretched, "I might as well buy something as I'm here." She danced off in the direction of the shoes. After a while I got bored and followed her.

"Bella, this shop is actually amazing," She beamed clutching a pair of pumps covered in silver stuff. I sighed, of course she'd think it was amazing, she was practically the only customer. I picked up a bracelet I'd been admiring earlier, it was silver and had blue gems and stones embedded in the chain.

"That's beautiful, you should buy it!" Alice cooed. I couldn't help but laugh in her face.

"Jeez Alice, even with my discount I wouldn't be able to afford it." She looked at me incredulously and was about to argue when we were disturbed by Mimi's shrill voice echoing off the walls. _Great. _I'd have to witness Mimi kissing Alice's feet for the rest of the day.

That evening I was lying on my bed listening to Air, begging for sleep to come. It was only ten-thirty but I was in such a bad mood that I just wanted it to be the morning. Mike had called me earlier and was pestering me to meet him for some "fun". Losing my virginity to him was possibly the biggest regret of my life and the thought gnawed at my mind as I waited for unconsciousness.

My phone began vibrating next to my head, scaring the life out of me. I grabbed it and answered without looking, I wasn't going to take Mike's shit any longer.

"What the fuck do you want Newton?" I spat, rubbing my forehead in frustration.

"Er... sorry... um..." _Crap_. That voice is too soft to be Mikes.

"Edward? Oh God I'm so sorry! I thought you were someone else..." I threw myself back down on my bed, cringing so hard at my stupidity.

"It's okay, shall I call back another time?" His smooth voice sounded concerned and equally as embarrassed... but there was something else, an edge to his voice which I couldn't quite understand. He sounded... out of breath?

"N-n-no I'm okay. What's up?" The fact that Edward was on the other line just began to sink in and my heart was pumping like a bitch.

"Well um, I was nearby and thought I'd call and see if you wanted to go for a walk..."

"Uh." I made the stupidest noise as my brain struggled to process what he'd just said, he was definitely the most spontaneous person I'd ever met. "Sure... Er where?"

He laughed quietly and told me he would meet me at the end of my road in five minutes. This gave me enough time to throw some clothes on and sneak past my parents. If they caught me I was prepared to lie about having to pick up Angela from Ben's because they'd had an argument. It was believable because it'd happened before on a few occasions.

I pulled some jeans and a jumper over my pyjamas and checked myself quickly in the mirror. Turning off my stereo, I slowly pulled my door back and peered round. The light in my parents room was on and the all the passage lights were off, this was a good sign. It meant they were going to bed and they thought I was already in bed too. I turned my light off a crept out into the darkness, praying I didn't fall down and expose myself.

Feeling my way along the wall, I found the banister and clung to it for dear life and outlined the edge of each stair with my foot before I stepped down. It must have taken me at least two minutes to get to the bottom instead of the usual ten seconds it took at normal speed. I was literally holding my breath as I grabbed my Docs and pried my keys off the hook as quietly as possible. With my boots in hand, I slowly turned the knob and stepped out, silently pulling the door shut behind me.

I shoved my boots on and paused for a moment, stunned. That went pretty smooth, I'd have to try it more often.

As I walked quickly and quietly onto the pavement, my eagerness to see Edward was disrupted suddenly when it dawned on me that I didn't know which end of the street he meant. I didn't want to call him and have to ask so I took a guess and headed for the end that was closest to my house.

I was lucky to live in one of the quieter areas of London, it was peaceful down my road and it was lit by the bright street lamps but it was still hard to feel safe walking alone at night.

Nearing the end of my road, I caught sight of a tall silhouette in the distance. I could tell it was Edward from the hair and let out a sigh of relief and quickened my pace slightly. The silhouette took a few steps towards me and into the light of street lamp. My breath caught as I took in his appearance.

Edward's face was completely flushed, his hair looked wet and it was sticking out in random directions. He was wearing baggy grey jogging bottoms and a black wife-beater which clung to the contours of his chest. His muscles were just... _there._ I stood and gaped at him for a very long moment.

"I'm sorry to drag you out here, I went out for a jog and I ended up running to you." He smiled sheepishly.

"You _ran _here?!" It would explain a lot but I couldn't quite grasp the concept of him running miles. I wasn't too sure where he lived but I knew it wasn't anywhere near here.

"Why, is that so hard to believe?" He smirked and I swear he flexed his arms a little.

"No, I thought you were a sprinter though... You don't run long distances."

Edward looked at me like I'd just said something obscene, "Doesn't mean I _can't _run long distances." He rolled his eyes at me. "Plus, how else am I supposed to keep fit?"

_Shag me._

"Oh... fair enough," I shrugged, feeling a bit stupid. We seemed to be walking in the direction of the park which was around the corner from my house, the April air was still and felt fresh when I breathed in.

"Aren't you cold?" I said, taking in his lack of jumper and amount of exposed skin.

"Nope, are you?" He asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

"No, I've got my jimjams on under these." I laughed, exposing a corner of my PJ top from underneath my jumper. Edward found this highly amusing for a second and then something seemed to dawn on him.

"Oh crap, I made you get out of bed. You should have said no!" He moaned, nudging me lightly.

"God Edward, don't be so over dramatic. I couldn't sleep anyway and it's not exactly late is it." I argued, nudging him back.

"I'm not over dramatic!" He pouted, "Why couldn't you sleep? Something to do with this Mike boy?" I could tell he was trying to act cool about it but curiosity had saturated his voice. I couldn't be bothered to explain so I just shrugged it off and said I simply wasn't tired enough.

We reached the park gate and Edward gestured for me to climb. I hesitated for a second before sucking it up and hurling myself over the fence. I almost shat myself when I saw Edward already standing there on the other side, smirking at me.

"Show off." I muttered. As we walked over to the nearest bench my stomach was doing somersaults, I knew nothing was going to happen but it was just the idea of being so alone with him that thrilled me. And we _were_ alone. Everything around us was quiet, it felt like we were on another planet.

We sat down and Edward put his bare arm around me, I could faintly smell his sweat through the deodorant and general man smell but it wasn't a turn-off... I actually found it kinda sexy. He smelt _good_. I curled up under his arm and traced his muscles lightly with my fingers.

"You know Bella, I have to admit I'd seen you before..."

"What?" I made no attempt to hide my surprise.

He cleared his throat quietly, I could tell he was embarrassed. "You know that night at the club? Well, I'd seen you a few days before in Starbucks. You were sitting by the window and I was walking past... and I er.. sort of watched you for a bit... Oh shit! I'm such a stalker!"

"I can't believe I didn't see you..." _I can't believe you were watching _me.

"I hid behind a dumpster." He admitted in a strangled voice. I must have been in shock because I didn't even notice that I was shaking with laughter, he looked down at me with an incredulous look on his face. "Only you would laugh at the fact that someone stalked you."

"But you didn't _stalk _me, it's not like you followed me to the club."

"True... I was actually shocked to see you there. You looked so beautiful, I could hardly look at you." His voice was husky as he said this and I had trouble breathing as he lightly brushed my hair away from my face with his fingers.

He dipped his head slightly so our faces were level and gently brushed his nose against mine. I could feel his hot breath against my mouth so I tipped my head up, pushing his nose up with mine and teasing him a little. I was secretly begging to kiss him but I wanted to prolong it a bit longer, I had a feeling that after this kiss, there would be no going back. I'd be totally lost to Edward Cullen.

"Don't hurt me, Bella." He pleaded softly.

"Don't hurt me first." I whispered back. He nod his head once as his hand cupped my face.

He stroked my bottom lip with his thumb before bringing his lips to meet mine. I gasped quietly as I felt his warm, soft mouth mould and move against mine. His kiss was gentle but firm. Slow and passionate. He tasted like cinnamon.

I can't be sure how long we'd been there for but when Edward broke away, it felt all too soon.

"It must be pretty late," He whispered, stroking my cheek. I nodded as he slowly rose to his feet, pulling me up with him.

We walked back in silence but beaming with satisfaction, Edward kept his arm around me the whole way back to my house. I was slumped against him, surprised by how tired I was and trying to stifle my non-stop yawning.

When we got to my door, Edward spun me around and gave me one long chaste kiss before whispering, "Tomorrow?" I nodded again, I was too tired to form words, they'd just come out in a slur if I tried. He smiled and kissed my forehead, "Sweet dreams."

"Bye." I managed as I watched him turn around and jog off into the night.

And I was right. I was totally lost to Edward Cullen.

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**A lot more Edward in the next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

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**Hi hi, I have a new story if you want to check that out too. It's quite different from this one, Rosalie and Emmett and it's called Kiss from a Rose. It's on my profile if you're interested.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter guys.**

**Disclaimer: Twilight is Stephenie Meyers.**

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I woke on Sunday morning with the biggest shit eating grin on my face. My parents hadn't heard me sneak back in to the house the night before and I'd crawled into bed feeling on top of the world. I kept replaying last night in my head over and over, trying to find any clue to suggest that I'd been dreaming. The way Edward had looked, sweaty and pumped... God, I wish I'd had a camera so I could have that image with me forever. I knew I had to see him today, there was so much I needed to ask him, so much I wanted to know about him. I wanted to know about his parents and why he'd been living with the Cullen's since he was little.

I couldn't help but think there was something more to what he'd said to me before he kissed me. _"Don't hurt me, Bella"..._ It made me wonder if he'd been hurt in the past so badly that it would cause him to be cautious of me. I was broken out of my thoughts as a light knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," I croaked, my voice still thick with sleep. I was surprised to see Angela poke her head round the door and give me a little wave.

"Morning babes," she smiled, diving onto the bed next to me. I groaned at the sudden movement, it was too early.

"Hey sexy, I didn't hear you come in." I said, my confusion clearly evident.

"Ah your mum let me in," she said stretching out her long limbs. "I wanted to see you so I thought I'd come now before I go see Ben." I watched as she placed her head on my arm and looked up at me with her big brown eyes. Our eyes were the same and we had similar features, despite her gorgeousness, we could actually pass for sisters. I was used to her being the one receiving all the attention though.

I hummed and smiled at her lazily, I could tell we both had things to tell each other.

"What's going on with you and this modelling then?" Angela's face lit up and she told me about how she'd met up with Rosalie and her agent in the evening. He was impressed with what he saw so agreed to sign her up for part time just like Rose and start building a portfolio straight away. I squealed and threw myself at her, squeezing her with all the strength I had.

"I'm so happy for you Angie!" I grinned, looking sincerely into her eyes. She let out a sad sigh and I sat back, pulling my covers up to my chin. I knew what was on her mind. "Are you going to tell him?"

"I don't see how I can keep it from him... He's gonna go ape shit Bells and I'm so scared." _Father_ Weber would not be happy at all to hear that his daughter was going into a 'whore's business'. "He's probably going to kick me out but if I'm honest, I think I'd be happy to get away from him."

"You know you've always got a home here," I said, my voice full of emotion. She smiled at me with genuine warmth and nodded her head. We sat in silence for a while, allowing time for our moment to pass by. Eventually she cleared her throat and looked at me suspiciously.

"So, what's going on with you? You look perkier than usual this morning."

For the life of me, I couldn't hold on to the silly giggle that escaped so I pulled the covers over my head like a little girl. Of course Angela ripped that thing off my head with unnecessary force and let out a very loud, "No waaaaay! You had sex with him didn't you?!"

"WHAT?! NO! Shut the fuck up, the 'rents will hear you!" I hissed in a low voice, smacking her in the arm.

"Oops, sorry!" She mouthed.

After rolling my eyes dramatically, I snuggled up and quietly explained to her the events of the previous evening. She reacted in the typical way, gasping and giggling along with me in all the right places but it was just what I needed, some good old-fashioned girl time.

I eventually got out of bed to shower, Angela waited downstairs with my mum after swearing to me that she wouldn't breathe a word about Edward.

Around mid morning I got a text from Edward asking if I wanted to meet him in the park in half an hour. I text him back literally a second after I read it with an over-enthusiastic yes. Quickly giving Angela a lift to Ben's house, I decided to drive to the park so I wouldn't have to explain to my parents why I was walking somewhere. I never walked.

I parked up and saw him leaning against the gate, looking ridiculously laid back in his jeans and black jumper. He spotted me and smiled as he walked towards my car. To my total surprise, he opened the door for me and leaned in to take my hand.

"Nice car," He smirked, kissing me on the cheek and helping me out. "It suits you." I wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not so I just told him to shut up and locked my car. He laughed loudly and confirmed that he had in fact been taking the piss out of me.

"Bitch," I muttered. He heard me and spun me around, backing me up against my car and squaring his shoulders. He was trying to look angry but the corners of his mouth kept twitching and his eyes were definitely amused.

"Did you just call me a bitch?" He asked in a low, menacing voice. I jut my chin out and squared my shoulders too, there was no way in hell that I could look as intimidating but I could sure as hell try.

"Maybe." I challenged, cocking an eyebrow and fighting back my own smirk.

He pursed his lips and moved closer, leaning on one arm against the car and blocking my escape. My heart started to beat frantically in my chest. "Hmm..." He sighed, "You really shouldn't have said that." I squealed and ducked under his arm before he could grab me. I ran flat out for the gate laughing like a maniac.

In typical Bella fashion, I failed to remember that the boy I was running away from was a sprinter. I yelped as I felt his arms wrap around to my waist and pull me down onto the grass, making sure I landed on top of him. Then he shifted so that he was hovering over me while I continued to laugh until I couldn't breathe. "Big mistake, lady." He growled, pinning me down as I struggled to push him off. Of course, I was absolutely thrilled to have him on top of me but I wasn't going to let him know that...

I managed to free my arms and take control, pushing him over and rolling on top of him. He seemed a little shocked by my move and I giggled as I pinned his arms above his head. It was obvious he could break my grasp without effort but he chose not to, I got the impression he was enjoying himself.

As cheesy as it may sound, time seemed to stand still for a moment. I gazed into his gorgeous green eyes and then moved back slightly to study his face, it was flushed pink and the tip of his nose was turning red again. I had the urge to kiss it but fought it back. I noticed he had a tiny scar on his top lip and his jaw looked particularly angular and masculine from this position.

I licked my lips as I traced my finger lightly along the line of his slightly stubbly jaw. Unlike his nose, I failed in holding back my urge and I moved slowly to kiss along where my finger had just been. It felt amazing under my lips, the stubble tickled me slightly and I wondered what it'd feel like against other parts of my body. I trembled with pleasure at the thought.

"That feels so good," Edward sighed quietly, pushing my hair back away from my face. He sat us up slowly and gently held the back of my neck, our noses where inches apart and my breathing quickened as he darted his gaze from my eyes to my lips.

Feeling too impatient to wait for him to make his move, I closed the distance and slid my hand up to lightly hold his jaw before locking my lips around his bottom lip. I distinctly tasted cinnamon again as his mouth opened against mine and I abruptly pulled away. Edward looked slightly taken aback at my sudden withdrawal.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just... Why the hell do you _always _taste like cinnamon?" His expression seemed to be bordering in between amused and disappointed.

"I'm sorta addicted to cinnamon gum," He smiled sheepishly, pulling a packet out of his pocket to emphasise his point. "You don't like it?"

His question made me scoff. "Of course I fucking like it," I said, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling his mouth to mine again. My heart just about melted when I felt him smile against my lips.

After what must have been a few minutes of what can only be described as pure make-out, I suddenly became aware that we were in the park and there were children around. I gently pulled away, pecking him on the lips a couple of times before completely moving off him.

I looked at him apologetically and explained that I didn't want to be a typical rowdy teenager and ruin everyone's fun day in the park. He looked at me with an incredulous expression before busting up with laughter. I frowned at him, he seemed to be laughing at me an awful lot. He eventually registered my expression and composed himself.

"You're unlike anyone I've ever met, Bella." My skin tingled as he kissed my forehead and stood up, holding out his hand.

"And you hardly know me," I reminded him, taking his hand and allowing him to help me up.

"Exactly," He said, in a matter-of-fact voice. "But I intend to know you very well." I smiled at his infectious grin and placed my arm around his waist while he put his around my shoulder. I decided to show him the park's Avery so steered him in the right direction as we walked.

"It's cool about Angela and Rosalie, isn't it?" I said, making general conversation as I looked down at the floor making sure we didn't step on any duck shit.

"Yeah it is, Emmett was telling me they're getting pretty close... Does that bother you?" He asked cautiously, I looked up to find him studying my face.

"Why would it bother me?" I questioned, slightly confused as to why he'd think that.

"I dunno, I guess you might feel like Rose is taking her away." I shook my head violently at his statement.

"No way, I'm ecstatic for her! I'm not selfish enough to throw a bitch fit when she makes a friend." I said a little harsher than I meant to.

"No I know, I didn't mean it like that. You just seem really close that's all." I had to suppress a smile at his desperate attempt to backtrack.

"Yeah we are... She's practically a sister to me. We're waiting for her dad to kick her out so she can move in with us." His brows pulled together as he tried to make sense of what I was saying and I didn't bother waiting for him to ask. "It's been waiting to happen for years, ever since her mum – my dad's sister – died a few years ago, they haven't been the same. If she goes ahead with this modelling thing or he finds out about her boyfriend – which will happen eventually because they're pretty serious – he'll go insane and probably disown her. It's such a shame because they used to be so close... I guess the grief was too much for them." I finished quietly, slightly shocked I'd told him so much and prayed Angela wouldn't mind.

Edward nodded his head solemnly and agreed that it was a shame. We walked along in silence for a while but it wasn't awkward, eventually we got to the Avery and the sound of the birds chirping filled the quiet. Sitting down on the bench opposite, we laughed quietly and made small talk about the birds. After commenting that some of the budgies looked like punks and naming one pair Sid and Nancy, I decided that I couldn't contain my burning curiosity any longer.

"Edward?" I turned towards him and he looked at me expectantly. "Is there any reason why you said what you did last night? About not hurting you..." My face burned red and I couldn't help but look down as I asked him. I peeked up to find him looking at me long and hard as if he were contemplating something. He let out a long sigh and then looked distantly at the birds.

"Bella, I don't know if you know this but Alice and Emmett aren't really my brother and sister." I pretended to look shocked by this information and in some sick and twisted way, I was thrilled that he was trusting me enough to tell me. I didn't interrupt him and he continued, "Which means Carlisle and Esme aren't my real parents. Esme is my real mum's sister..." He took a deep breath and turned to look me in the eye, his expression was glum as he brought his knees up to his chin.

"Where are your parents?" I whispered, internally kicking myself for asking such a stupid question. They could be dead for all I knew and I would be rubbing salt in the wound. After preparing myself for the worst, I was quite surprised by his answer.

"Around." He had replied bluntly. _Coldly_. "Most likely living it up in some exotic country." His sad expression had formed into a scowl.

"I don't understand..." I started but he interrupted me.

"They didn't want me." His words were like a slap in the face. "I was going to be put up for adoption but Esme couldn't bear it. She and Carlisle raised me and loved me. That's why I call them my parents. Alice and Emmett didn't protest to my presence, they accepted me as their brother and that's why I call them my siblings. I had my name legally changed from Masen to Cullen because that's what I am now." He drifted off and gave me a small forced smile and I could tell he was hurting. What he'd told me took a while to sink in and when it did I couldn't help but feel upset about it. Poor Edward had been hurt by the people who were supposed to love him unconditionally. It must have been so hard growing up with the knowledge that his own parents didn't want him.

I reached out and tenderly ran my fingers through his hair. He focused his gaze on me and smiled at me more genuinely now but it faltered as he remembered something else.

"And then there was Tanya last year..." He took another deep breath and looked up at the grey sky.

"Tanya?" I encouraged, my jealousy threatening to emerge.

"Yeah..." He breathed out slowly. "She broke my heart." I couldn't help but wince at his words, to know that he might still be in love with someone else made me feel really insecure. "I thought I loved her at the time but I know now that I really didn't."

"How?" I asked quietly, watching the birds squabbling over a piece of fruit. He didn't reply for a while so I looked over at him, slightly taken aback to find him staring intensely into my eyes.

"Because what I felt for her is noway near the way I feel about you right now and like you said, I hardly know you." He said slowly, as if to add weight to his words. "Think about how I'll feel about you in a couple of weeks."

There was air trapped in my throat and I felt as if I might cry. I launched myself into his arms and buried my face in his brawny shoulder, soon to feel his lips against my neck.

"I knew from the first this I saw you that you were something special, Bella..." He whispered against my neck. I squeezed him harder and the only response I could manage was a muffled "thank you".

Our moment was interrupted for the second time today but this time by the heavy droplets of rain which were starting to plummet from the sky. Before we knew it, it was pissing down so I grabbed his hand and we ran towards my car. Edward squealed like a little girl all the way.

We jumped in my car soaking wet, panting and laughing as we watched the rain thunder down onto the windows.

"Well I guess this ruined the kiddies trip to the park more than the horny teenagers did." Edward chuckled, while glancing at the time on the dashboard. "Shit, I'm supposed to be at Jasper's in ten minutes. We have to rehearse for tonight."

"Rehearse for what?"

"We get paid to play covers at this bar sometimes and we're playing tonight. Do you want to come?" _What a stupid question..._

"Yeah, I'd like to hear you play." I was curios to know what he sounded like.

"I was afraid of that, I'll be nervous if you're there." He sighed giving me a sheepish smile, but I didn't care. He told me to be at the Pukka Bar at nine, they were on for an hour.

I ruffled his wet hair and he kissed my nose before he hopped out of my car and made a run for it. I watched him as he got into some sort of silver car which I couldn't identify through the rain. However I could tell it wasn't nearly as flashy as Jasper or Rosalie's cars. Maybe the Cullens were less ostentatious when it came to cars. After he drove off, I pulled out and made my way home, buzzing with excitement about tonight.

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It was nine-fifty when I pulled up next to Jasper's Mustang outside the Pukka Bar. I was seriously pissed, there had been an accident in my area and the traffic queues were ridiculous. What was supposed to be a twenty minute drive ended up taking over an hour and I'd missed most of their set. I timidly walked into the bar and hoped I'd still catch them playing.

My breath hitched when I walked in because on the low stage to the left of the door was Edward perched on a stall with an acoustic guitar in his lap looking completely irresistible, his usually dark hair shined bronze under the bright spotlight. He was leaning across his stall to talk quietly to Jasper who was also sitting on a stall next to him.

I made my way over to the bar at the back of the small room, wanting to watch from afar. I sat on one of the stalls and leaned against the smooth wood of the counter. I scanned the room and soon found Rosalie perched on Emmett's lap with Alice next to them, her hand on Emmett's shoulder while her eyes were transfixed on Jasper.

I followed her gaze and saw he was about to talk into the microphone. "Okay ladies and fellas, this be our last song for this evenin' so we'd like to thank y'all for listening so kindly." He said in his distinctly Southern drawl.

I chuckled as Emmett yelled really loud, "Thank _you_ sexy!" Alice was giggling too as she hit him in the arm.

Edward cleared his throat as Jasper started to pluck skilfully at his Spanish guitar with his eyes shut, completely lost in the the melody. I recognised the song almost instantly and gasped quietly. They were playing _Lady D'Arbanville_ by Cat Stevens which was a song I adored. Edward started lightly drumming on the back of his guitar in some improvised percussion.

His eyes closed as he sang the first line and my heart stopped when I heard the sound of his voice. It was low and gritty, almost mournful in a way. The way he sang was so passionate, it was like he was singing directly to her, to Lady D'Arbanville. It was haunting.

Jasper was singing back up vocals, his voice was soft and smooth like honey. The contrast in their voices worked in ways I never thought possible. I tore my eyes away from the stage to look around the bar. The whole place was silent and captivated by the two on stage, completely lost in their song. Some were swaying, others nodding their heads, but all had their eyes transfixed on the stage. Even the bartenders had stopped what they were doing to listen.

I focused back on Edward and marvelled, I sang along quietly as he stole yet another piece of my heart. It didn't seem possible that one guy could be so incredibly talented, so generally amazing... and for that guy to be interested in _me._ It was unreal.

The song ended and the bar erupted with applause and cheering. Edward and Jasper opened their eyes and smiled shyly at the crowd, muttering their thanks and making their way off the stage. I jumped off the stall and made my way over to him but stopped dead when a group of sluts swarmed them. Alice stormed over and stood in front of Jasper, giving the girls death glares.

They all backed off but focused their attention on Edward, thankfully he seemed seriously uncomfortable with all the attention. I was standing there unsure of what to do before I heard Emmett's loud voice calling my name. I was surprised he remembered who I was. Edward heard him calling me and his head snapped up in my direction. When his eyes found me, a massive grin formed on his face and he pushed past the groupies, using his guitar as aid.

They all turned to shoot daggers at me but I just smiled smugly at them as Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me in front of _everyone_. I heard Emmett yell, "Get a room!" causing Edward to brake away shyly. I turned and gave Emmett the finger. _Cock block._

"I didn't realise you were here, I couldn't see you before." Edward breathed against my ear as he held me close. I explained to him about the accident and he kissed my temple sympathetically, thanking me for making so much effort to see him play.

"It was worth it," I grinned. "You're amazing." For the first time ever, I witnessed Edward blush and the sight made me giggle. It was a nice change from me being the one always going beet red.

Some man in a suit came and tapped him on the shoulder, asking if he could talk to him and Jasper in private. Edward apologised and released his hold on me, making me realise how much I actually missed it when he wasn't touching me.

Alice jogged to my side and kissed me on the cheek. "I think that's someone from Plump record label." She explained with wide eyes, licking her lips in anticipation. "I've seen him around here a few times, he's always seemed interested in them..." She trailed off as we watched the exchange. Edward seemed to be shaking his head and Jasper looked furious. The man nodded and shook their hands, handing them what I guessed was a card and then walked out of the bar.

Jasper turned to Edward and shoved him roughly in the shoulder before stalking out too. Alice called after him and when he didn't react, she kissed my cheek again and ran after him.

I cautiously walked over to Edward and brushed his face with my hand, fully aware of bitches glaring at me from across the room. "What was that about?" I asked softly.

"That man was from a record company, he said he wanted to sign me and Jasper up but I told him I wasn't interested." He looked down sadly at the floor, "Jasper's pissed because he's only interested in us as a pair, not as solo artists. I know it was selfish of me but I still don't know what I want to do with my life and I don't want to end up making a mistake just because I wanted to please Jasper." He ran his hand down his face and sighed deeply.

"Don't feel bad about it, Jasper will understand... He just needs to calm down and then you can explain to him where you're coming from." I wrapped my arms around his torso in an attempt to comfort him. I felt him bury his face in my hair and we swayed gently from side to side.

I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket so I fished it out. It was a text from my dad telling me to come home because I had school in the morning. _How embarrassing_. I told Edward that I had to go and he walked me to my car, the Mustang was long gone.

"Do you have a ride home?" I asked anxiously, I didn't want him walking or having to get the bus or some shit.

"Yeah don't worry, Em and Rose are still inside." He opened my door for me and bent his head to kiss me tenderly. "I'll see you soon okay?"

As I drove off, I felt a strange pang in my stomach as I realised I didn't want to be driving away from Edward, I wanted him to be by my side all the time. The feelings I was starting to feel for him were immense. And it was starting to scare me.

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**A/N: Thanks to those who always review. I would really appreciate reviews from those of you who don't speak, so let me know what you think.**


	10. Chapter 10

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**Hi, sorry for the wait! I want to thank those of you who review, it's always really nice and encouraging to hear what you think so keep it up! If you read and don't normally review... give me a shout so I can see who you are!**

**Also, Some of you may have noticed that I like my characters to drive nice cars and if you haven't already, check out the links on my profile so you can see what they look like.**

**I'm really grateful for the support and I hope you guys enjoy this!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine... although I wish it was so I could be super rich like Stephenie.**

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I was woken up early on Friday morning by the shrill sound of my mother squealing in my ear. I tried to ignore her as best as I could and pulled my pillow over my head. But there was no escape.

"Get up, Bella! Oh, I can't believe my baby girl is 18!" She beamed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands like a toddler.

"Jesus! How old are you woman?!" I snapped blindly in her direction, pulling my pillow tighter over my face. Of course, being the most annoying mother on the planet, she snatched it away and yanked my covers off my body. I shuddered and groaned loudly as the cold air hit my exposed skin.

"Isabella Marie Swan! If you you don't get up _right now _and start enjoying your birthday, I will ground your miserable backside for a month!" She yelled unnecessarily as I opened one eye to squint at her.

"You can't ground me, I'm a legal adult now." I smirked. _Touché._

I rolled out of bed and attempted to get ready for my day, dodging my mum who was fussing around me. I eventually made it to school and was pleasantly surprised to find that Angela and Ben weren't making the stupid amount of hoopla as they normally did. Although I was happy about it, it made me feel a little uneasy. They were planning something, I could tell. There was no way Angela would let my eighteenth birthday go by unnoticed.

At lunchtime I was sitting with Ben at our usual table by the window while Angela was talking on the phone outside. I studied Ben properly for the first time in a few days, I'd been too wrapped up in my thoughts about Edward to realise that he looked really glum.

"What's the matter?" I asked softly. He looked up at me and seemed slightly startled that I'd noticed.

"Nothing, Bella. I'm alright." He lied blatantly to my face, giving me a weak smile. I wasn't buying any of that bullshit.

"Ben. How long have I known you?"

"Uh..." He looked at the ceiling, trying to count.

"Six years. I think I know you well enough to realise when something is bothering you." I said bluntly. He stared at me long and hard with his deep blue eyes before sighing and acknowledging defeat. There was no way on earth he'd get away with not telling me, he was like my brother and we _always _shared our problems.

"I went out with Angela the other night and I met Rosalie... and Emmett." I couldn't really see where this was going so I nodded my head in encouragement. "And..." He seemed to be struggling with his choice of words as he stared down at the grey plastic table top. "It's not that I'm not thrilled for Angela, because I really am. It's just... God, I love her so much... but I'm waiting for the day she realises she can have any guy she wants. She'll want to be with some big muscled guy like Emmett... She won't want to be with a loser like me anymore." He mumbled that last part and shyly peeked up at me. I stared at him, completely incredulous. I wasn't sure whether to laugh at the ridiculousness of his words or to be offended on behalf of my cousin. I settled for a half laugh, half glare. I must have looked insane. _Good._

"What the hell do you take her for?" I snapped but then taking in his hurt expression, opted for a softer approach. "Gosh Ben, how could you even think that? She would never, ever think that. Don't you have any idea how much she loves you? So much that I think it's unhealthy to be so in love at our age... Ben she's probably planned out your wedding for fucks sake." I laughed lightly at the last part. I remember last year when I asked her if she could see them getting married in the future she'd just smiled shyly and ran out the room. There was no way she'd ever give up on him and I knew for a fact that he'd never leave her, it was obvious how head over heels he was.

Ben's eyes seemed to shine as he considered everything I'd said and then looked out the window at Angela who was walking back towards the building. He flashed me the biggest smile ever before jumping up and kissing me on the cheek.

"Thank you Bella!" He breathed excitedly before running outside to swoop a surprised Angela into his arms and plant kisses all over her face. I chuckled and looked away from the window, I didn't want to intrude on their intimate moment. When I glanced back a moment later, they'd disappeared.

They had been gone for a while and lunch was almost over but I didn't mind so much. I was chewing on my sandwich and staring into space when I heard my phone ringing. I fished it out of my pocket and got flustered when I saw the name on screen. _Edward._

I hesitated before answering it, I was careful not to let slip anything that would suggest that today was my birthday so I hoped I wouldn't hear a _happy birthday! _from the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bella, you okay?" I breathed out a sigh of relief, he seemed oblivious.

"Yeah, although Angela and Ben left me all by myself." I filled my voice with mock sadness.

"Aww I don't think I could ever leave you alone like that," He said in a husky voice and my breathing hitched. "I was wondering if you wanted to come over today, er, to my house." I took two seconds to contemplate his invitation in my head, it didn't seem suspicious. He had no idea it was my birthday and I was fine with that, he didn't have to know.

"Sure, what time shall I come over?" I wasn't sure where he lived but I could always find a map.

Edward chuckled quietly down the phone. "Bella, you don't know where I live. I'm coming to get you."

"I can find it!" I said, on the defensive.

"No no, I'm coming to get you and that's final. Will you be ready at half four?" The authority in his voice turned me on.

"Yeah, I'll be ready."

"Swan! Take it outside!" I heard Mr Gregg shout from the other side of the cafeteria, I looked up and smiled at him. He was one of those young, good-looking PE teachers that you can't help but flirt with a little bit.

"One sec Ed," I said, holding the phone against my shoulder before yelling, "I'm done!" He mock frowned and then wagged his finger at me, I put the phone back to my ear as I watched him walk out. "Sorry about that, I have to go but I'll see you later." I grinned.

"Yeah, I can't wait. Bye Bella." As I put my phone back in my pocket and headed for class, I suddenly became plagued with anxiety as the reality of what I was about to do sunk in.

I was going to Edward's house. Edward _Cullen's_ house. It probably wouldn't even class as a house, I'm guessing it was a mansion. I'd probably meet his parents. _Oh God..._I walked into class and fought off every terrifying thought that tried to invade my mind. It took all my power to concentrate on my lesson.

At the end of the day I couldn't find Angela or Ben anywhere so when I text to ask where she was, I was surprised when she text back saying they'd bunked last lesson. I sighed and tried not to feel rejected as I drove home. I may have requested no fuss but that didn't mean avoid me.

I sulked in the car while I waited in traffic, peering up at the sky. The sun was breaking out and it looked like the remainder of the afternoon was going to be graced with pleasant weather. _At least that's something._

By the time I got home it was already four and I literally agonised over what to wear. I wanted to look presentable to his parents but at the same time, I wanted to be comfortable. I hated dressing up to go to someone's house, I'd just wear sweatpants if I could. I managed to settle on a decent pair of jeans and a white v-neck t-shirt. It was simple enough.

When I was all set to go, I lay on my bed and attempted to calm myself down again. I knew I was being stupid, this was no way as big a deal as I was making it out to be. Edward rang me a few minutes later.

"Hey, I'm like two seconds away." One second later I heard loud revving coming from outside. I ran to the window and gasped when I saw a red Audi R8 parked up right outside my house. _No fucking way... _I wasn't great with cars but I definitely knew this car, it was my _dream_ car.

"Is that yours?" I choked out, pressing my face against the window.

"No, it's Emmett's car. His greatest love, after Rose of course." I laughed when I heard Emmett yell, "damn straight!" in the background. "Anyway, hurry up." he said excitedly before hanging up.

I grabbed my bag and checked myself in the mirror one last time before sprinting down the stairs and flying out the front door. Emmett was hanging out the window and I wondered how he actually fit in there – it was pretty small in comparison to his beefy body. _Big Pimpin'_ was blaring out and I couldn't help but laugh... also, I secretly hoped my neighbours were witnessing this.

I walked round to the passenger side, playfully squatting Emmett in the head as I passed and then trailed my fingers lightly across the smooth red hood. Edward opened the door and gave me the fucking sexiest smile ever. I bent down and kissed him on the cheek, quickly glancing round to take in the interior of the car. It was just as beautiful as the outside, the seats were red leather and everything else was black and chrome.

As I went to climb in the back, something suddenly clicked in my head. I raised my eyebrow at them. "There's only two seats."

"Yes Bella, there _are_ only two seats. Problem?" Emmett grinned, raising his eyebrow too to challenge me.

"Where am I suppose to sit?"

Emmett's grin grew wider as he patted Edwards knee and I felt my face turn crimson. I focused my gaze on Edward and he was smiling up at me

"Isn't that highly illegal? I could follow you guys in my car..." It wasn't that I didn't like the idea of sitting on Edward's lap in an R8... because that thought alone was enough to give me an orgasm. I just didn't really fancy getting pulled over and then having to explain myself to my dad later on.

"HA! As if your car would be able to keep up with this. Just get in the damn car, Bella!" Emmett said through gritted teeth whilst revving the engine.

I sighed and climbed in. _You only live once..._ I settled down on Edward as he snaked his arms around my waist and I put one of mine around his shoulders. As soon as the door was closed, we were miraculously at the end of my road._ Damn this car is fast._

The song changed to _Lovestoned_which was cool, I had no beef with JT. Emmett turned the music down a little so me and Edward could talk, suggestively winking at us every now and again.

"Sorry about this," Edward said sheepishly. Our faces were so close I could hardly concentrate on what he was saying to me, "I would've driven in my car but... I kinda crashed it the other day."

"Serves you right for speeding," I said matter-of-factly, fully aware that we were currently going 100mph down a 40mph street and completely crapping myself.

"Pah! It was a piece of shit anyway!" Emmett scoffed.

"It was not!" Edward argued, his face growing red.

"What? It was a _Volvo_ for fucks sake! What kind of 17 year old drives a _Volvo_?!"

Edward huffed and buried his face in my shoulder, I giggled and brushed my fingers through his messy hair.

"Aww, you just ignore him Eddie bear." He looked up and smiled at me as I kissed his forehead.

He gazed at me as the song went into the interlude at the end and I noticed the whole atmosphere change. Edward pulled me closer to him, put his lips to my ear and sung quietly in time to the song, "_I think I'm love stoned... You've got me love stoned... I hope that you know..._" He trailed off to kiss my neck and nuzzle my ear.

"You like Justin Timberlake?" I asked in a weak voice, it was hard to think straight when he was doing that. He chuckled lightly but didn't reply so I closed my eyes and nuzzled him back.

Emmett cleared his throat loudly and completely interrupted our little moment. I opened my eyes to see him smirking and shaking his head at us. "So Bella, how does it feel to be-" Edward smacked him in the arm before he could finish his question. They communicated silently for a moment and I watched as Emmett suddenly looked like he'd just shit himself.

"To be what?" I asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Uh, to er... to be with Edward?" he winced and Edward groaned. Something was definitely going on.

"Don't answer, Bella"

"Whatever." I mumbled, leaning my head against the window and staring out at the passing cars. I smiled to myself as I noted that none of them were as amazing as the car I was sitting in right now.

Emmett started fiddling around with the stereo which made me highly uncomfortable... I'd rather he focused on driving the car instead. Edward sensed me tensing up and laughed.

"Scared of living fast?" He questioned with a smirk on his face.

"Nope, just of dying young," I countered. Emmett was eventually satisfied with the station and it took me a while to realised it was a Seventies nostalgia station. Me and Edward were in hysterics when _Bohemian Rhapsody_ came on and we watched Emmett belting out the whole song, normally I'd be singing the loudest but I couldn't compete with him... especially when it got to the high notes.

Through the giggles, I noticed we'd turned onto a long road full of huge houses with extravagant gates and massive driveways.

"We're here." Edward sighed as the car turned into a long driveway with swirly iron gates. I gasped when I saw the house, it was three stories tall and the bricks were the colour of white sand. It was gigantic and if the outside was this beautiful, I couldn't wait to see the inside. I opened and closed my mouth a few times, not being able to find the right words.

Emmett parked up outside the front and I guessed the other cars were in the giant garage attached to the side of the house. We got out and stretched our stiff muscles, the journey had been a little cramped but it was so worth it.

"Ed, I think you should take Bella insideto meet mum and dad." Emmett smiled mischievously before skipping round the side of the house. I could've killed him. I felt Edward shaking was laughter next to me so I punched him in the arm and made my way to the front door. It seemed to be made of oak or something and was covered in gorgeous etchings. I ran my finger inside a large curve and realised it was a 'C'. Taking a step back I noticed the word 'Cullen' was carved into the door.

"I know, it's pretentious isn't it?" Edward chuckled from behind, grabbing my waist and walking me through the door. "They're not scary I promise." He whispered in my ear. His words did nothing to soothe me though, my heart rate was through the roof.

The hallway had wooden floors and panelled walls but it was surprisingly warm and inviting. "Mum?!" Edward called out as I gaped at the huge staircase which seemed to go on forever. When I brought my focus back down I saw an elegant figure walking into the hall. She had flowing caramel hair which came down past her shoulders and kind hazel eyes, the same eyes that Alice and Emmett had.

She had her arms outstretched and a huge smile on her face. "Welcome to our home Bella," She beamed proudly.

"Thank you missus Cullen." I replied shyly, suddenly aware of how common I sounded in comparison to her perfect pronunciation.

"Please, call me Esme!" she exclaimed as she took me into her arms and kissed both my cheeks. I blushed because I was fully aware Edward was still clinging onto my waist from behind.

She included Edward in our embrace and much to my embarrassment, stage whispered, "She's beautiful, Edward!" in his ear. I knew for sure that my face had turned the colour of beetroot as she took a step back to study us.

"I know she is," Edward smiled, kissing me softly on my cheek. Esme's grin spanned from ear to ear as she looked back and forth between me and Edward. She looked like she was about to burst.

"I'm going to get your dad!" She blurted, spinning round and rushing up the stairs yelling, "Carlisle!"

Edward sighed heavily and let out a low throaty laugh. "My dad is no way near as embarrassing, the worst is over." He led me in the direction of the living room but was _still _holding on to me so we were penguin walking. I giggled when he rested his chin on my shoulder and his warm breath tickled my neck.

The living room took my breath away. The carpet was an off-white colour and the walls were covered in a light wallpaper with branches of gold filigree fanning across it. It was so sophisticated and everything in the room looked too expensive to touch. The sofas were cream leather and even they seemed too expensive to actually sit on.

Edward manoeuvred us over to one of the sofas and sat me down on his lap. I looked up at him and couldn't help but marvel at how the brightness of the room made his eyes glow jade in colour. He never failed to dazzle me.

A small smile tugged at his lips as he gently brushed strands of hair away from my face. "I meant what I said before you know, you _are_ beautiful." he said quietly and my heart danced inside my chest. I think I was starting to understand the way Angela felt when she was with Ben, she tried to describe the feeling to me once.

When she was with Ben, Angela felt like see had everything she would ever need right there with her. She could lose everything else or be in intense pain but it wouldn't matter because she had her soul mate to soothe and comfort her. The world was right when they were together, everything made sense, everything was balanced and everything was perfect. Apparently that wasn't even the half of it, the other feelings she felt were so immense that they were indescribable.

I couldn't be sure what I felt exactly just yet, but I did know that when I was with Edward, I felt invincible.

"What?" He questioned softly and I realised I'd been staring at him shamelessly for a long time, I just shook my head and smiled. He cocked his head to the side and hummed, bringing his thumb up to brush my bottom lip. He slowly leant in and kissed the corners of my mouth before moving to take my bottom lip firmly between his.

We moved together so smoothly, like our lips were having their own sweet conversation. I reached up to tenderly place my palm against his perfectly sculpted cheek while he thread his hands through my hair. I sighed quietly in contentment and was slowly moving my other hand towards his thigh when somebody cleared their throat.

I pulled away from Edward with my eyes still shut and moved off his lap to sit next to him. I slowly opened my eyes and winced in embarrassment when I saw a gorgeous blonde man standing at the doorway. Esme popped out from behind him and looked highly amused. I stood up and awkwardly walked over to introduce myself.

"Hello mister Cullen, I'm Bella." I said extending my hand with as much dignity as I could muster. He took my hand gently in his and shook it firmly, I could tell he was stifling his laughter because his face was slightly red and his mouth was twisting slightly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Bella," He grinned, looking behind me and winking suggestively at Edward. "And call me Carlisle." I dropped his hand and took a step back, wishing Edward would get the hell up and save me. I wondered if it was possible to actually die from embarrassment.

I silently thanked the heavens when Edward eventually came up and scooped up my hand. He started talking to his parents about one of the neighbours and I took the opportunity to study Carlisle who had his arms wrapped around his wife. He was tall and slightly muscular and I could see Emmett there in that sense. The rest of Emmett was pure Esme. I could see a lot of Alice in Carlisle's features but I wondered where his blonde hair went to. His eyebrows were quite dark and I grew suspicious.

"Anyway, I'm going to take Bella into the garden now," Edward said whilst tugging me out of the room.

"Have fun!" Esme called behind us suggestively and I cringed.

When we were walking through the kitchen – which was spotless with stainless steel appliances, black granite counters and frosted glass cupboards – I turned to Edward and stated bluntly, "Carlisle's not a natural blonde is he?"

"Nope, where do you think Alice gets her black hair from?" He confirmed with a smirk. "You can't tell anyone though... otherwise the FBI will come and take you away."

I giggled as I pretended to zip my lips together and throw away the key. Edward kissed my forehead and then wrapped an arm around me so my face was buried in his chest. I heard him open the back door open and step us outside. When he released me from his hold, I turned around and yelped at what I saw.

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**A/N: So what did she see? You've probably already guessed lol**

**Anyway, review and make me a happy girl :)**


	11. Chapter 11

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**Argh! I'm so sorry for the wait! I promise it wasn't my intention, I just had a serious case of writers block and this chapter really wasn't working out. I cut it in half because it was taking me too long to write the whole thing and I needed to post _something._**

**Please feel free to express any anger you may be feeling.**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer... basically.**

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"SURPRISE!"

I practically jumped out of my skin. Fuck. I had to admit that I kinda knew Edward and Emmett were up to something but I think I'd decided to make friends with a little something called denial. I guess there was a little hope thrown in there too, hope that my suspicions were completely wrong. I gaped up at everybody standing there grinning at me. Of course, Angela was standing proudly at the front with Ben and Alice on either side. _The masterminds_, I guessed. They would pay later.

Everyone sort of all came at me at once with hugs, kisses and presents. All I could do was blink and say thank you. I felt like a robot. The patio of the huge garden had been decorated with streamers and extravagant vases full of flowers. Emmett was standing by a large barbecue grill wearing a chefs hat and appeared to be arguing with Jasper.

"Dude, just let me do it!" Jasper whined, trying to push Emmett away and grab the meat tongs out of his hand.

"Why should I?" Emmett huffed, pushing him back with one arm.

"Because I," Jasper said, straightening up proudly and pointing to his chest "am an _American_."

I watched in fascination as Emmett's face turned ten different shades of red and his mouth twisted as he tried to hold back his anger.

"What the fuck does that have to do with anything?" He finally exploded, clearly contemplating beating Jasper with the tongs as he waved them about, using to them to punctuate every word he said.

I tried desperately to hold back my laughter but almost lost it when I saw everyone else was doing the same. Rosalie was laughing so hard she had tears streaming down her flushed face. Everyone left the pair to continue their ridiculous argument and sat down at the large picnic table covered in party food and booze. I was about to join them when I felt a pair of arms grab my waist. I tensed up at first, being reminded of that day in the library with Mike, and almost dropped my presents. I relaxed though when I heard Edward's soft voice whisper into my ear.

"You'll get your present later." He kissed my cheek lightly and then went to sit inbetween Alice and Angela. I moved to sit opposite him, next to Ben and gently placed all my presents onto the table.

"WAIT!" Alice yelled as I moved to open the first one, "You have to wait for everyone before you open them!" I threw my hands up apologetically and wondered what all the fuss was about. I guess I wasn't used to having such a big audience, present giving wasn't a big thing with my family but it was here judging from Alice's reaction.

"Stop bickering and get your butts over here!" Rosalie snapped at Emmett and Jasper. When they realised it was present time they rushed over and planted themselves on my side of the bench. I felt it strain to one side because of the weight difference and Emmett was so big that I found myself leaning into Ben in order to avoid getting squashed.

Alice plucked up something flat and rectangular which didn't look like it needed to be wrapped and dangled it in front of my face. "It's from Jasper and Emmett," She informed me. I looked over to them on my right in shock, I wasn't expecting them to get me anything.

I took it from her, tentatively peeled off the wrapping and then slid the contents out. When I saw a HMV gift sleeve I felt a bit better, a five pound voucher was okay. However when I lifted the flap, my jaw dropped. It was a _fifty _quid voucher. They hardly even knew me yet they spent this much money on me. I looked up at them trying to clear the lump in my throat.

"T-Thank you so much! I don't deserve this, you didn't have to get me anything." They just looked at eachother and then back at me before bursting out laughing. Emmett put his rather large and heavy arm around me and shook his head.

"Wow Edward, you found yourself a funny one here," He chuckled, much to my annoyance. It was slightly patronising. I caught Edward's eye then and he looked like he was bursting with pride. Naturally, I couldn't help the blood rushing to my face as we gazed at eachother.

I can't even begin to describe how insane Alice and Rosalie's present was. When I got to the large box I didn't know what to expect so when I unwrapped it and saw a huge Prada logo on the top, I swear I stopped breathing. Alice practically had to open it up for me because I was so dumbstruck. She and Rosalie were grinning like crazy as they held up the black and white Prada dress in front of my face.

"I- I can't... Oh my God." Were they insane? Money was obviously no object to these guys. If this is what they bought for someone they hardly knew, I couldn't even begin to imagine what they bought _eachother_.

"Do you like it?" Alice beamed proudly as if she'd been dying to give me something designer since the moment she met me.

"Of course I do! Thank you so so SO much!" I grinned, still gaping at the strapless mini dress. Edward looked a little excited as his eyes darted from the dress to my body and then back again blatantly trying to imagine what it would look like on me.

I put it back into the box carefully and thanked them again. It took me a while to realise Ben was waving his present in my face, his wasn't as neatly wrapped up as everyone else's but I wouldn't have it any other way.

"It's nothing special, I'm a little broke at the moment. It's no Prada dress..." He trailed off, rubbing his neck and scowling at whatever was in my hand. I nudged him with my shoulder because he was being stupid, he didn't have to get me anything. Plus no matter what he got me over the years, his choice of presents were always awesome. This years present was no less awesome, I grinned when I saw what was underneath the silver wrapping.

"I made you a couple of mix tapes – well, mix CDs. They're for your car 'cause you're always complaining about your driving music. There's one for each mood." He shrugged, giving me an embarrassed smile as I read the labels on the five CD cases. There was mellow, angry, sad, one full of my favourite songs and then the last one said 'goofy' in large letters. Lord knows me and Angela like to get goofy in the car.

"It's perfect, Ben!" I couldn't have asked for anything better. I wrapped my arms round him and squeezed the shit out of him, silently praying that Angela would end up marrying him because I couldn't think of a greater guy than Ben.

"Bitch! Time for the most awesome...est present of them all." She yelled, holding up a large square that I hadn't seen before. Grabbing it from her I stepped out from the picnic bench so I could open it away from prying eyes. I was more excited about Angela's present than anyone else's – even Edwards, which I hadn't forgotten about by the way. Every 2.5 seconds that passed, my mind was thinking of the possibilities of what it could be.

I tore the wrapping off and stared for a long time at the frame in my hands. I tried to blink back the tears as I took in the large black and white picture of us when we were little girls, sitting on our mothers laps. We both loved this picture immensely but we only had one faded copy between us so seeing it blown up this big in crisp black and white caused the tears to spill down my cheeks. I missed my auntie.

Angela was by my side in an instant, tears streaming down her face as she hugged me fiercely. This was definitely my favourite present. "There's another one," She said as she handed me an even larger one. It was a collage of pictures of us. I started to cry again.

The others came to look over our shoulders, pointing and laughing at the pictures. I focused my attention on them too and laughed through my tears; cute pictures of us when we were little, embarrassing pictures of our early teens and then more recent ones. There was this great picture of us and Ben at prom, he looked so pleased to have a girl on each arm. That's something I loved about Ben and Angela, they never made me feel like the third wheel when we were together.

I hugged everyone and said thank you _again._ I was probably getting on their nerves but I was so thrilled with my unnecessary gifts. I laughed quietly to myself when I realised it was only the eight of us, just proof I had no friends but I didn't need anyone else here. It was more intimate this way. More _me. _Even though there were only seven people at my birthday party and I hardly knew half of that number, I couldn't have wished for a more perfect gathering. These people were willing to spend a stupid amount of money on me and I could tell that despite their youth and wealth, none of them were superficial. This lot were genuine.

The group dispersed to do various things and I started to get excited about the food Emmett was cooking. I hadn't eaten anything since my sandwich at lunch and my stomach was growling. Alice suggested that Jasper act as our bartender instead of chef and it seemed to wipe the glum look off his face. Of course, he insisted on us all drinking Southern Comfort but we didn't mind.

Edward – who had been rather quiet for the past twenty minutes – gestured toward the the path that led down the garden with a shy smile on his face. I nodded eagerly and followed him down the perfectly paved pathway. The sun had just started to set and the air turned a little colder causing a chill to run through my body. I was super excited to know what this gift was now and wondered briefly if it was something naughty. My mind danced at the possibilities as Edward towed me down the garden.

We stopped when the path curled around the hedges and brought us to a beautiful little rose garden. The setting sun caused an orange glow on everything making the colour of the roses more vivid. I turned to look at Edward and almost fainted when I saw him. His hair looked fiery red in this light and his face was glowing and he was dazzling. He looked like he was from another world.

Before I could even register what I was doing, I'd attacked Edward's mouth with my own, pulling him against me roughly and threading my fingers through his soft, erratic hair. I'd obviously taken him completely off guard because he stumbled backwards a little. His hands started roaming my body and I moaned quietly when he started to touch my breasts. I was pushing him towards the nearby garden bench when Edward pulled away.

"Wait! I need to give you your present, Bella." He panted. I couldn't help the frustrated growl that escaped. My hopes of birthday sexin' were slowly fizzling away.

He tenderly took my hand and kissed my palm, looking intensely into my eyes. I forgot about my anger instantly. Suddenly it was his turn to look a little pissed and I had no idea why.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"You should have told me it was your birthday, Bella." He mumbled, looking away from me and up at the sky. I suddenly felt guilty and almost... selfish?

I guess he had a point, I'd be upset too if he hadn't told me about his birthday. I didn't mean to act like a brat on my birthday and there wasn't really a reason for my hatred of this day, I'd never had a horrible experience or anything. My birthday just tended to be a really crappy day for me so I preferred to keep it quiet and let it pass by unnoticed.

"I'm sorry Edward." I whispered, feeling my cheeks burn from embarrassment. He put a finger under my chin and tilted my head up to look at him, he had a small smile on his face, one side of his lips pulled up a little higher than the other.

"I'm not pissed off at you... I just don't want you to keep stuff like that from me. It's not right." He sighed, stroking my cheek lightly with his finger. "Anyway, it doesn't matter now." His hand had moved to lightly trace up and down my arm, leaving a trail of warmth where his fingertips had touched.

"Close your eyes and hold your hand out." Edward ordered in a low voice and I did as I was told, trying to ignore how sexy he sounded. Simultaneously, I felt something smooth placed into my palm and the sensation of Edward's lips against mine. "You can open them now," He whispered against my lips. I gave him a soft kiss and then looked down at the shiny black box in my hand, there were tears in my eyes already.

I sensed it was something expensive so much like the dress, I was nervous about opening it. Edward must have sensed this so he carefully wrapped his hands around mine and we opened it together.

The tears in my eyes escaped as soon as I saw what was inside. "Alice." I stated quietly – half laughing, half choking. He nodded and carefully took the bracelet out of the box. It was the same one from the boutique, the one I loved and couldn't afford. It looked even more beautiful outside of the shop.

I marvelled at the bright blue stones which decorated the silver chain. They looked impossibly more luminous in the fading sunlight, just like the roses – and Edward. He slowly slid the bracelet onto my wrist, I flinched slightly when the cold silver touched my skin.

"She was telling me how in love with it you were so I went and bought it straight away. This was before I even found out about your birthday." He wasn't looking at me properly again.

"Thank you Edward," I sniffed, becoming quite embarrassed by the fact that I kept crying today. He wiped away my tears and then littered my face with little kisses. I giggled because it tickled and that started me off crying again. I couldn't help it. I was just so _happy_. This was turning out to be by far the greatest birthday I'd ever had. Edward cleared his throat once I'd composed myself again.

"Bella... I just wanted to ask you.." He stopped and smiled to himself for a second. "God, this is going to sound so childish... Er, will you be my girlfriend?" The sun had disappeared now causing Edward's hair to lose its bronze tint. I pondered what he'd asked for a moment, I kind of already thought we were going out. As if he read my mind he quickly blurted, "I just wanted to ask you officially."

I nodded and tried so hard not to laugh at him, he had no idea how adorable he was sometimes. Edward's face lit up, he picked me up and spun me around causing my to squeal and giggle.

"Hello boyfriend," I grinned when my feet were back on the ground again.

"Hello girlfriend," He chuckled, leaning down to kiss me.

I was revelling in the taste of his soft, full lips against mine when the smell of food started to float down the garden and my stomach grumbled _very_ loudly. In the most perfect timing, we heard Emmett's voice boom through the air. "Stop making out and come get some munch!"

Edward scooped up my hand and we drifted back towards the house. "Your boss is a freak, by the way."

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**A/N: Okay so nothing really happened... the drama is in the next chapter. Sorry again for being so shit!**

**Reviews are always lovely, they let me know that you're actually still reading this lol**


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